''Aphonopelma xwalxwal'' 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 ...

s in the family Theraphosidae, found in

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

(

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Etymology and pronunciation

''A. xwalxwal'' is pronounced like "''hwal-hwal''", with "hw" like the rasping noise of blowing out a

candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...

, "a" as in "f''a''ther", and "l" like "''l''ight". It comes from the Cahuilla language and means ''"a small spider"''. The Cahuilla tribe originally owned the land where this species is currently (as of February 2016) only known from, the

Coachella Valley , map_image = Wpdms shdrlfi020l coachella valley.jpg , map_caption = Coachella Valley , location = California, United States , coordinates = , width = , boundaries = Salton Sea (southeast), Santa Rosa Mountains (southwest), San Jacint ...

and Borrego Springs.

Distribution

''Aphonopelma xwalxwal'' is only known from the Palm Springs and Borrego Springs (as of February 2016). It is probably restricted to the Sonoran Mountains and Sonoran Mountain Woodland and Shrubland.

Diagnostic Features

''A. xwalxwal'' is most similar to '' A. joshua'', only larger and a different breeding period (

autumn Autumn, also known as fall in American English and Canadian English, is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September ( Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Sou ...

instead of

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

). It is one of the largest dwarf '' Aphonopelma'' species. The fourth

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

is from 1 cm to 1.05 cm long. It is only known from the male.

References

xwalxwal Spiders described in 2016 Endemic spiders of the United States Endemic fauna of California Fauna without expected TNC conservation status {{Theraphosidae-stub