Aptostichus barackobamai
| Aptostichus barackobamai | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Male specimen |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Aptostichus barackobamai | ||||||||||||
| Bond , 2012 |
Aptostichus barackobamai is a spider in the Euctenizidae family. It was described in December 2012 by Jason Bond as one of 33 new species of the genus Aptostichus , whichcomprises a total of 41 species, and was named after the 44th President of the USA, Barack Obama .
description
Aptostichus barackobamai is similar in its body shape to the other species of the genus, which is morphologically, as is typical for tarantula-like spiders, monotonous, with species that are difficult to distinguish. The species reaches a carapace of 5 to 6 millimeters. It is quite uniformly dark red-brown in color, with an irregular dark central band on the abdomen, the carapace is covered with thin white hairs ( setae ), the abdomen is black haired. The type can only be determined with certainty on the basis of the bristling of the tibia (the 4th link of the legs) of the first pair of legs. In males, the penultimate leg link ( metatarsus ) of the front legs has a triangular extension (apophysis). Females can also be identified by a feature of epigyne , a median expansion of the spermathec . The species can also be defined based on genetic characteristics.
Habitat and way of life
Like all Aptostichus species, Aptostichus barackobamai is a "trapdoor spider". The spider lurks for prey in a self-dug earthworks, which is protected and camouflaged at the top by a hinged lid made of spider silk, camouflaged with soil and plant material. There she waits as a lurker for prey organisms passing by. The trapdoor of Apostichus is quite thin with an irregular outline, so that, unlike other trapdoor spiders, it cannot be detected from the circular outline. In order to search for the spiders, the entire litter layer is therefore pushed aside to reveal the living tubes.
Aptostichus barackobamai is primarily a mountain species. Habitat are forests of coastal redwood and other conifers . The species is so far only known from the collections that Jason E. Bond has carried out in his research on the genus, which has continued since his dissertation in 1999, further published finds are not yet available.
distribution
Aptostichus barackobamai is a species endemic to California that has been observed several times in the north of the state. Populations are known in Mendocino County , Napa County , Shasta County , Sutter County, and Tehama County .
Danger
Due to its large distribution area, Aptostichus barackobamai is not considered endangered.
etymology
Jason E. Bond honored Barack Obama as the "first African American President of the United States " and as a "respected spider fan" by naming the newly described trapdoor spider. Other animal species were named after Obama, including the saw bass Tosanoides obama , the fossil " lizard " Obamadon gracilis and the string worm Paragordius obamai .
literature
- Jason Bond (2012): Phylogenetic treatment and taxonomic revision of the trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 252: 1-209. doi: 10.3897 / zookeys.252.3588
Web links
Wikispecies: Aptostichus barackobamai - species directory