''Holothele'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

tarantulas 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 ...

that was first described by Ferdinand Anton Franz Karsch in 1879. Originally placed with the curtain-web spiders, it was transferred to the

in 1980.

Diagnosis

They can be distinguished by the lack of

urticating hairs Urticating hairs or urticating bristles are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, almost all New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. ''Urtica'' is Latin for "nettle" (stinging nettles are in the genu ...

, tarsus 4 being pseudo segmented. The tarsal claws own a row of

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, t ...

, and a labium with around 90 cuspules.

Species

it contains six species, found in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

and in the north of South America: *'' Holothele culebrae'' ( Petrunkevitch, 1929) –

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

*'' Holothele denticulata'' (Franganillo, 1930) –

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

*'' Holothele longipes'' (L. Koch, 1875) ( type) –

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, Bolivia,

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, Guyana, Suriname,

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic coast of South America in the Guianas. ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

*'' Holothele maddeni'' (Esposito & Agnarsson, 2014) -

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

*'' Holothele shoemakeri'' (Petrunkevitch, 1926) –

US Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...

( St. Thomas) *'' Holothele sulfurensis'' Maréchal, 2005 – Guadeloupe

In synonymy

*''H. ludwigi'' (Strand, 1907) = ''Holothele longipes'' (L. Koch, 1875) *''H. ravida'' (Simon, 1889) = ''Holothele longipes'' (L. Koch, 1875) *''H. recta'' Karsch, 1879 = ''Holothele longipes'' (L. Koch, 1875) *''H. rondoni'' (Lucas & Bücherl, 1972) = ''Holothele longipes'' (L. Koch, 1875) *''H. sanguiniceps'' (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899) = ''Holothele longipes'' (L. Koch, 1875)

Transferred to other genera

References

Theraphosidae genera Spiders of Central America Spiders of South America Spiders of the Caribbean Taxa named by Ferdinand Karsch Theraphosidae {{Theraphosidae-stub

Diagnosis

Species

In synonymy

Transferred to other genera

See also

References