African tree tarantula

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African tree tarantula
African tree tarantula (Heteroscodra maculata), female

African tree tarantula ( Heteroscodra maculata ), female

Systematics
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Tarantulas (Mygalomorphae)
Family : Tarantulas (Theraphosidae)
Subfamily : Stromatopelminae
Genre : Heteroscodra
Type : African tree tarantula
Scientific name
Heteroscodra maculata
Pocock , 1900

The African tree tarantula or marble tarantula ( Heteroscodra maculata ) is a spider from the family of tarantulas (Theraphosidae). Unlike almost all species of the subfamily Stromatopelminae , which are otherwise widespread in the New World , it inhabits West and Central Africa and is also particularly noticeable due to its visual appearance.

The English common names of the species are Togo Starburst (Tarantula) and Ornamental Baboon (Tarantula) (translated roughly: "Togo star spot tarantula " and "Ornamental baboon tarantula").

features

Rear view of a female with leg hair that is clearly visible here

The African tree tarantula reaches a body length of around 50 to 70 millimeters and is therefore one of the medium-sized tarantulas. The leg span of the species is between 110 and 130 millimeters. The basic color is light brown or gray-black. A striking feature of the species is the white character pattern, which consists of lines, spots and dots. In the adult male, this drawing appears washed out and also gray. The fourth and last pair of legs is thickened. While the rest of the body of the African tree tarantula is covered with short, falling hair, it becomes significantly longer from the patella , i.e. the leg links between the femora (thighs) and tibia (splints), of all four pairs of legs. The metatarsi and tarsi (phalanxes) also have brush-like hairs. Like other species of the subfamily, but unusual for an old-world tarantula, the African tree tarantula has stinging hairs that can be stripped off in the direction of attackers, and is therefore one of the tarantulas that can be bombed. Otherwise, this property only occurs in some tarantulas that are native to the American double continent.

Similar species

The African tree tarantula can be confused with the closely related species Heteroscodra crassipes and also with the leopard tarantula ( Stromatopelma calceatum ), some of which share the same habitats. The leopard tarantula also has a noticeably long leg hair, which, however, takes up the entire legs and is particularly pronounced on the two front pairs of legs. In addition, the leopard tarantula has a different pattern and is beige to brownish in color.

Occurrence

Rainforest in Liberia , one of the habitats of the African tree tarantula.

The African tree tarantula is widespread in West and Central Africa, where it inhabits tropical and humid rainforests.

Threat and protection

No information is available about possible threats to the African tree tarantula. The IUCN does not evaluate the population of the species.

Way of life

Female in his web of flats

The African tree tarantula, as can be read from the trivial name, is one of the tree-dwelling tarantulas and creates a web of living space in tree hollows, hollow branches or in the foliage that it rarely leaves during the day. Like all tarantulas, it is nocturnal and accordingly leaves its web mainly at this time in search of prey.

Escape and defense mechanisms

The African tree tarantula behaves quite defensively and tries to flee when disturbed. The escape behavior of the species is interesting. If it is in a higher exposed position, it will drop if it encounters a possible predator (predator) and lays its legs in the air so that it takes on a spherical shape and rolls in it Formation on uneven or sloping ground, such as B. on a slope down. Arrived on a level surface, she fled in a flash and hides in the nearest possible shelter. Young animals usually bury themselves in the ground instead of fleeing.

Like other tarantulas, the African tree tarantula can defend itself in distress with a threatening gesture or, in the last instance, with a poisonous bite. She can also defend herself with the stinging hairs mentioned by bombarding (removing the stinging hairs).

Reproduction

The African tarantula shows a reproductive behavior typical for tarantulas, in which the male, as soon as it has found the shelter of a sexually mature female, drums on the ground in front of this for courtship . Mating itself is quite peaceful and the male is usually not attacked and eaten by the female after mating. Four to six weeks after mating, the female creates an egg cocoon that is attached to its web. After about six weeks, 80 to 300 young animals hatch from this and grow up within a short time. Sexual maturity is reached between one and a half and two years. Life expectancy for females is 12 to 15 (maximum 20) and for males three to four years.

Terrariums

Like many tarantulas, the African tree tarantula is kept as a pet in the terrarium due to its distinctive appearance . For a successful keeping, the climate of the tropical rainforests of Africa with its high temperature and humidity should be simulated. The seasonal fluctuations that occur in their natural range, with the rainy season between March and October and the dry season between November and February, can also be included in the simulation. This procedure is particularly recommended for the breeding of the species, whereby certain values ​​regarding temperature and humidity should not be exceeded or fallen short of.

Before buying one or more specimens, one should be aware of the propensity to flee in a flash and the preparedness of the African tree tarantula. There is no concrete information about the toxicity of the species. It is assumed that a bite, as with other African tarantula species, has a comparatively strong effect.

Systematics

The African tree tarantula was in a publication from the year 1900 by Reginald Innes Pocock first described . Pocock examined a female that was originally from West Africa and had been kept in the insect house of the Zoological Society of London as Scodra calceata . The species Scodra calceata is known today as the leopard tarantula ( Stromatopelma calceatum ). However, Pocock noticed the differences between the West African spider and all Scodra species, especially with regard to the structure of the legs. He not only recognized them as a species of their own, but considered the differences to other tarantulas to be so serious that he created the genus Heteroscodra especially for them. The African tree tarantula became the type species of the new genus under the scientific name Heteroscodra maculata , which currently includes two species (as of March 2020). In addition to the African tree tarantula, only Heteroscodra crassipes is another representative. In 2017, the tarantula genus Heteroscodra from the subfamily of the Stromatopelminae was placed in that of the Aviculariinae .

gallery

  • Dorsal view of a female

  • Lateral view of a female

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Heteroscodra maculata (Pocock, 1900) at Arachnophilia.de , accessed on March 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b Heteroscodra maculata (Pocock, 1900) at Versicolor Bremen , accessed on March 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Hans W. Kothe: Vogelspinnen. 1st edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, p. 42, ISBN 3-4400-9367-0 .
  4. ↑ a b Volker von Wirth: Vogelspinnen. 1st edition. Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2011, p. 21, ISBN 978-3-8338-2151-6 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Heteroscodra maculata (Pocock, 1900) in Theraphosidae (Dutch) , accessed on March 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ a b Heteroscodra maculata (Pocock, 1900) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed March 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ Heteroscodra maculata (Pocock, 1900) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed on March 10, 2020.
  8. ^ Reginald Innes Pocock On the scorpions, pedipalps and spiders from tropical West-Africa, represented in the collection of the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 67, 4, (for 1899), pp. 833-885, April 1900, p. 840.
  9. ↑ CS Fukushima, R. Bertani: Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of Avicularia Lamarck, 1818 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae) with description of three new aviculariine genera. In: Zookeys. Volume 659, 2017, pp. 1–185. PMC 5345366 (free full text).

literature

  • Hans W. Kothe: tarantulas. 1st edition. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-4400-9367-0 .
  • Volker von Wirth: tarantulas. 1st edition. Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-8338-2151-6 .
  • CS Fukushima, R. Bertani: Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of Avicularia Lamarck, 1818 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae) with description of three new aviculariine genera. In: Zookeys. Volume 659, 2017, pp. 1–185. PMC 5345366 (free full text).
  • Reginald Innes Pocock On the scorpions, pedipalps and spiders from tropical West-Africa, represented in the collection of the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 67, 4, (for 1899), pp. 833-885, April 1900, p. 840 (first description).

Web links

Commons : African tree tarantula Heteroscodra maculata  - Collection of images, videos and audio files