''Typhochlaena costae'' is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Theraphosidae 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 m ...

, subfamily

Aviculariinae The Aviculariinae are a subfamily of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas). They can be distinguished from other theraphosids by a number of characters. Their legs have no or few spines on the underside (ventral surface) of the tibial ...

. It is native to Palmas,

Tocantins state Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 20 ...

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 ...

. The species shows an arboreal trapdoor lifestyle.Andre C. & Hüsser M. 2018. About trapdoors and bridges - New insights in the little-known ecology and lifestyle of the genus Typhochlaena C.L. Koch, 1850. British Tarantula Society Journal 32(3): 3-29.

Taxonomy

''Typhochlaena costae'' was first described by

Rogério Bertani Rogério Bertani is a Brazilian arachnologist, active at the Butantan Institute. He is credited as one of the foremost specialists in Theraphosidae Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , ...

in 2012. The specific name honors Miriam Costa, who collected the holotype and several other spider taxa during her several years at

Instituto Butantan Instituto Butantan (in modern Portuguese, Instituto Butantã, ) is a Brazilian biologic research center located in Butantã, in the western part of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Instituto Butantan is a public institution affiliated with the S� ...

Characteristics

''Typhochlaena costae'' is known from males and females. The male has a thinner and shorter

embolus An embolus (; plural emboli; from the Greek ἔμβολος "wedge", "plug") is an unattached mass that travels through the bloodstream and is capable of creating blockages. When an embolus occludes a blood vessel, it is called an embolism or emb ...

than other ''

Typhochlaena ''Typhochlaena'' is a genus of small-bodied tarantulas with an arboreal trapdoor lifestyle. All the species except for ''T. seladonia'' were first described by Rogério Bertani in 2012. Characteristics ''Typhochlaena'' differs from all o ...

'' species. The female has non-spiraled

spermatheca The spermatheca (pronounced plural: spermathecae ), also called receptaculum seminis (plural: receptacula seminis), is an organ of the female reproductive tract in insects, e.g. ants, bees, some molluscs, oligochaeta worms and certain other ...

e, which diverge in the basal sections and are quite long. In both genders the abdomen is black, with three red spots laterally. The

chelicera The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as "jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarly ...

e and the very most anterior dorsal edge of the cephalothorax (which is otherwise brown) have long, and very stiff

seta In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1325942 Theraphosidae Spiders described in 2012 Spiders of Brazil