Psalmopoeus is a genus of the family '' Theraphosidae'' containing various species of tarantulas. The genus is native to Trinidad and Tobago,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Ecuador, Venezuela,

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, Brazil, Belize, Panama, Nicaragua,

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, Mexico,

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. All of these tarantulas are arboreal in nature, ''

Psalmopoeus victori ''Psalmopoeus victori'', the Mexican half & half or Darth Maul tarantula, is a species of tarantula endemic to the moist forests of Veracruz, Mexico, although the exact location is withheld to protect from illegal collection. Description Th ...

'' being the first arboreal tarantula of Mexico.

Venom

These species are believed to be relatively venomous, and research in the venom of '' P. cambridgei'' shows it to be similar to capsaicin, the molecule causing

irritation Irritation, in biology and physiology, is a state of inflammation or painful reaction to allergy or cell-lining damage. A stimulus or agent which induces the state of irritation is an irritant. Irritants are typically thought of as chemical age ...

chilli peppers Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl ''Aztec cuisine, chīlli'' (), are varieties of the fruit#Berries, berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family ...

.Anitei, Stefan (2006).
Chili Peppers, as Strong as Tarantula Venom.
' Science. These molecules activate sensory cells to send pain signals to the brain.

Genetic engineers Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including ...

are working on blocking the receptors that are activated by these molecules.

Diagnosis

The species of this genus can be distinguished from all others by the lyriform organ in the prolateral maxillae, composed of a singular row of thick hairlike bristles. They also own hairs on the base of the chelicerae, also having short hairs in the retrolateral side of the pedipalp trochanter and femur.

List of species

, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: *''

Psalmopoeus cambridgei ''Psalmopoeus cambridgei'', the Trinidad chevron tarantula, is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae, endemic to Trinidad. Its venom is the source of psalmotoxin and vanillotoxin which are classified as inhibitor cystine knot proteins. ...

'' Pocock, 1895 ( type species) – Trinidad and Tobago *'' Psalmopoeus ecclesiasticus'' Pocock, 1903 –

and Ecuador *'' Psalmopoeus emeraldus'' Pocock, 1903 –

*''

Psalmopoeus irminia ''Psalmopoeus irminia'', also known as the Venezuelan suntiger, is a species of tarantula endemic to Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil. Description ''Psalmopoeus irminia'' are unique in their striking black coloration paired with vibrant orange che ...

'' Saager, 1994 – Venezuela,

and Brazil *''

Psalmopoeus langenbucheri Psalmopoeus is a genus of the family '' Theraphosidae'' containing various species of tarantulas. The genus is native to Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, Belize, Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mex ...

'' Schmidt, Bullmer & Thierer-Lutz, 2006 – Venezuela *'' Psalmopoeus maya'' Witt, 1996 - Belize *'' Psalmopoeus plantaris'' Pocock, 1903 –

*'' Psalmopoeus pulcher'' Petrunkevitch, 1925 – Panama and

*'' Psalmopoeus reduncus'' (Karsch, 1880) – Nicaragua,

and Panama *''

'' Mendoza, 2014 – Mexico,

and

In synonymy

* ''Psalmopoeus copanensis'' Gabriel & Sherwood, 2020 = ''

'' * ''Psalmopoeus intermedius'' Chamberlin, 1940 = '' Psalmopoeus reduncus'' * ''Psalmopoeus petenensis'' Gabriel & Sherwood, 2020 = ''

'' * ''Psalmopoeus rufus'' Petrunkevitch, 1925 = '' Psalmopoeus pulcher'' * ''Psalmopoeus sandersoni'' Gabriel & Sherwood, 2020 = ''

Nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium'' it may be impossible to determine whether a s ...

* ''Psalmopoeus affinis'' Strand, 1907 - West Indies

References

External links

Giant Spiders
{{Taxonbar, from=Q139889 Theraphosidae Spiders of Mexico Spiders of Central America Spiders of South America Theraphosidae genera