''Aphonopelma iodius'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

in the

tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

family Theraphosidae, found in United States (California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah). A 1997 paper combined it with three other previously described species (''A. angusi'', ''A. melanium'', and ''A. nevadanum'') into a single species, calling it "''A. iodium''". However, ''iodius'' is a neuter comparative adjective and is the correct form. ''Aphonopelma smithii'' has also been synonymized with ''A. iodius''. ''A. iodius'' is common in the Mojave Desert to the west of the Colorado River.

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of ''

Aphonopelma ''Aphonopelma'' is a genus of tarantulas native to the Americas. It includes nearly all the North American tarantula species north of Mexico and a considerable percentage of the tarantula species that range into Central America. Most are fairly ...

'' is complex and has been revised many times. The formerly recognized ''A. melanium'', ''A. angusi'', and ''A. nevadanum'' were found to be in synonymy with, and were folded into, ''A. iodius''. In the same study two new species, '' A. joshua'' and '' A. mojave'', were also recognized as geographically and phenotypically distinct. ''Aphonopelma smithi'', also known as the Bay Area blond tarantula, is regarded by some sources as an

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

spider to

Northern California Northern California (colloquially known as NorCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Spanning the state's northernmost 48 counties, its main population centers incl ...

, found in

California interior chaparral and woodlands The California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers in an elliptical ring around the California Central Valley. It occurs on hills and mountains ranging from to . It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biom ...

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s. A 2016 study of ''Aphonopelma'' species found in the United States concluded that morphological and molecular analyses failed to distinguish ''A. smithi'' (among other species) from ''A. iodius'', and so reduced it to a synonym. The synonymy was accepted by the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

, .

Natural habitat

''A. iodius'' lives in webbed burrows under the surface of desert areas of California, Nevada, and Utah. They often obstruct the entrance to their burrows with a silken or silk and dirt plug to protect against heat and predators.

In captivity

In the pet trade ''A. iodius'' is known by many names, such as the Great Basin blonde, Fresno County blonde, desert tarantula, Salt Lake City brown, northern blonde. The species is harder to find in the tarantula trade than many of the more colorful species, but can still be purchased at a slight premium.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2314493 iodius Spiders of the United States Spiders described in 1939