Avicularia purpurea
| Avicularia purpurea | ||||||||||||
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Avicularia purpurea female |
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| Avicularia purpurea | ||||||||||||
| Kirk , 1990 |
Avicularia purpurea is a species of climbing tarantula thatis commonin Ecuador . It was described by Peter Kirk in May 1990. The holotype is a female that was discovered in the area around the city of Tena andsent alive to Kirkby Swiss friend Heinz Hirschi in November 1989. However, it passed away shortly after arrival. Avicularia purpurea are sometimes kept as terrarium animals, and breeding has already been proven several times.
features
The animals reach a maximum body length of five centimeters and thus belong to the smaller representatives of the genus Avicularia . The animals have a black basic color and appear coal-black in low light. In daylight, however, a purple-blue sheen reveals itself on the surface of the carapace, the legs, the buttons and the bite claws. The longer bristles on the legs and buttons are dark red-brown in color. The tufts of hair on top of the tarsi and metatarsi are dark brown to black in color. As with many Avicularia species, the tips of the tarsi are pink-cream colored, although this is less obvious in this species than in related species such as Avicularia metallica . The opisthosoma is velvety black in color and has longer hairs of a similar color, as can be found on the upper side of the legs and buttons. The underside of the legs and buttons is also black, and it also has a purple-blue sheen, although this is less pronounced than on the surface. The sternum and the underside of the opisthosoma are colored velvet black. As with most species of tarantula, the tufts of hair in the labium are bright orange-red in color. The nymphs, on the other hand, are black and white in the first stages.
In the holotype, the cephalothorax is 1.7 millimeters long and 1.5 millimeters long. The fourth pair of legs is the longest at 4.7 millimeters, followed by the first at 4.4 millimeters. The second is 4.0 and the third 3.8 millimeters long. The bite claws have a length of 0.7 millimeters.
female
male
Habitat
Avicularia purpurea may be widespread in Ecuador in the Amazon . It seems to be a follower of culture that very often settles on cultivated land, such as in the isolated trees on cattle pastures. You can find them in very different habitats. It is a climbing species that mainly builds its nests in trees. To do this, it either spins out knotholes or lays its nest in furrows. Some spiders also build their nests near epiphytic plants. A. purpurea was also discovered in holes in house walls or in the spaces below the roofs. These openings are then spun out in the same way as knotholes.
behavior
As a defense measure, the animals have an abdomen covered with stinging hair. In addition, troublemakers are splashed with excrement, which is excreted in liquid, crystalline form. A bite rarely occurs and only when it feels extremely threatened.
Various observations have been made when mating in captivity. Some authors report that mating is unproblematic and that the male can therefore remain safely with the female for some time. Others, on the other hand, report that the females behave very aggressively towards the males, so the male often only empties one eyeball and then tries to move away from the partner as quickly as possible. The female lays the eggs in a cocoon. Seven weeks later, between 50 and 120 young animals hatch from this.
pairing
pairing
Web links
Avicularia purpurea in the World Spider Catalog
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Peter Kirk: Avicularia purpurea, a new species of theraphosid spider from Ecuador. In: Br. Tarantula Soc. J. 6 (1): 15-19.
- ^ A b c d Heinz-Josef Peters: Tarantulas of the World, Amerika's Vogelspinnen . 1st edition. Wegberg 2003. pp. 93-94
- ↑ a b c Andreas Tinter: tarantulas . Nikol Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, Hamburg, ISBN 3-933203-49-X .