''Brachypelma auratum'' (also called Mexican flame knee) is a
tarantula endemic to the regions of
Guerrero and
Michoacán
Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...
in
Mexico. In appearance it is reminiscent of the quintessential Mexican red-kneed spider, ''
Brachypelma smithi
''Brachypelma smithi'' is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas) native to Mexico. It has been confused with ''Brachypelma hamorii''; both have been called Mexican redknee tarantulas. Mexican redknee tarantulas are a popular ...
'', albeit darker and with more discrete red striations on the patella. The form of these red markings have earned the spider its common name, the flame knee. Due to the species' similarities to ''B. smithi'', it was not considered a distinct species until 1992.
[ It has been found living communally with a small frog known as ''Eleutherodactylus occidentalis'']
Conservation
In 1985, ''Brachypelma smithi
''Brachypelma smithi'' is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas) native to Mexico. It has been confused with ''Brachypelma hamorii''; both have been called Mexican redknee tarantulas. Mexican redknee tarantulas are a popular ...
'' (then not distinguished from '' B. hamorii'') was placed on CITES Appendix II, and in 1994, all remaining ''Brachypelma'' species were added, thus restricting trade.[ Nevertheless, large numbers of tarantulas caught in the wild continue to be smuggled out of Mexico, including species of ''Brachypelma''.][
]
See also
* Tarantula § The element ''pelma'' in genus names
References
External links
* – photographs taken in the wild
Theraphosidae
Endemic spiders of Mexico
Spiders described in 1992
{{Theraphosidae-stub