The ''Vitalius buecherli''

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 ...

is part of the ''

Vitalius ''Vitalius'' is a genus of South American tarantulas that was first described by S. Lucas, P. I. da Silva Jr. & Rogério Bertani in 1993. Diagnosis They can be distinguished from other tarantulas by the lack of stridulating hairs on the prolater ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

, it 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 2001. It is found in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

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 ...

Juquitiba Juquitiba is a suburban municipality in the southeastern part of the state of São Paulo in Brazil. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 31,646 (2020 est.) in an area of 522.17 km². This name comes from the Tupi l ...

, in the forest of "Planalto Atlantico", in " Serra da Paranapiacaba". It is named in honor of Wolfgang Bücherl, thanks to his contributions in Brazilian mygalomorphs.

Description

The

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

is brown, with some light brown bordering, the legs are dark brown. The sternum and abdomen are ventrally grayish, covered with long reddish hairs. Males can be distinguished from all

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 ...

except V. Dubius by the noticeable prolateral superior keel in the

palpal bulb The two palpal bulbs – also known as palpal organs and genital bulbs – are the copulatory organs of a male spider. They are borne on the last segment of the pedipalps (the front "limbs" of a spider), giving the spider an appearance often descr ...

, and females by the thin tibiae.

Habitat

This tarantula can be found in the "Planalto Atlantico" forest, in " Serra da Paranapiacaba", the Atlantic forest is known as a biodiversity hotspot, it is the second largest rainforest in South America. Serra da Paranapiacaba being one of the best preserved forest remains. The vegetation is mountainous forest with a consistent amount of rainfall, with a little

semi-deciduous Semi-deciduous or semi-evergreen is a botanical term which refers to plants that lose their foliage for a very short period, when old leaves fall off and new foliage growth is starting. This phenomenon occurs in tropical and sub-tropical woody spec ...

and restinga forest.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2192564 Theraphosidae Spiders described in 2001 Spiders of Brazil