Mountain Tarantula
| Mountain Tarantula | ||||||||||||
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Mountain Tarantula ( Alopecosa inquilina ), female |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Alopecosa inquilina | ||||||||||||
| ( Clerck , 1757) |
The mountain or black-bellied pseudo- tarantula ( Alopecosa inquilina ), also known as the immigrant tarantula or mountain panther spider , is a spider from the family of wolf spiders (Lycosidae). The Eurasian species is one of the largest of the pseudo-tarantulas ( Alopecosa ).
features
The female of the mountain tarantula has a body length of 17 to 18 and the male is 10 to 12 millimeters. The size is thus close to that of the steppe tarantula ( Alopecosa schmidti ), making both species the largest tarantulas ( Alopecosa ) in Germany . Compared to this and the similarly large dune tarantula ( Alopecosa fabrilis ), the mountain tarantula is less contrasting in color.
The prosoma (front body) has a red-brown basic color. In the female it is 5.7 to 7 millimeters in length and in the male it is between 4.9 and 5.9 millimeters. The carapace (back shield of the prosoma) is provided with black radial stripes and narrow, continuous lateral longitudinal bands. The sternum (breast shield of the prosoma) is colored black. The legs of the adult spiders are predominantly hairy uniformly gray-yellow. The ventral sides of the legs also have dark spots. In contrast to the males of other pseudo-tarantulas, the tibiae (greaves) of the first pair of legs of the male of the mountain pseudo-tarantula are not thickened or provided with long and dark hair.
The opisthosoma (abdomen), like the prosoma, has a red-brown basic color. In the anterior area of the dorsal side of the opisthosoma there are two kidney-like, black spots and two other and small, black spots in the middle. Like the other pseudo-tarantulas, the mountain pseudo-tarantula also has a heart mark in this region of the body, which appears indistinct in this species. It docks onto the two pairs of spots. In the male, the heart mark is colored light gray and a little clearer. In addition, unlike the female, another pair of point-like spots can be found here. The ventral side of the opisthosoma is blackish in color.
Structure of the sexual organs
The bulbi (male sexual organs) have a pointed apophysis ( chitinized process) on the distal side .
The epigyne (female sexual organ) has a narrow spermathek (seed pocket) at the front . The center of the epigyne shows a deep longitudinal pit.
Similar species
The mountain pseudo-tarantula stands out within the genus of pseudo-tarantulas ( Alopecosa ) because of its size. In Germany , only the dune tarantula ( Alopecosa fabrilis ) and the steppe tarantula ( Alopecosa schmidti ) achieve similar dimensions, but can be distinguished from the mountain tarantula by their more contrasting colors.
Occurrence
The distribution area of the mountain tarantula includes Europe , Russia (European to Far Eastern part) and Kazakhstan . The species has been proven over a large area in Europe. However, so far no finds have been made on the Iberian Peninsula , the British Isles and Iceland . The same applies to the Netherlands , Moldova , Kosovo , Albania , Turkey and the islands of the Mediterranean . In Germany, the species is found preferentially in the Alps and other mountains in southern Germany. In Austria it can be found in all federal states with the exception of Vorarlberg . It also occurs in South Tyrol, northeast Italy and in other mountains of the Apennine Peninsula .
In the western regions of Europe, the mountain tarantula is the largest species of its genus. The steppe pseudo-tarantula, which is mainly found in Eastern Europe, is of similar size, but its occurrence only extends to Thuringia to the west and to the northern Harz foreland .
Habitats
The mountain pseudo-tarantula prefers mountainous regions according to its common name and inhabits open and sunny mountain forests, where it can be found up to an altitude of about 1500 meters above sea level . Within such areas, the species can be found especially on stony dry grass and gravel surfaces, in the Alps especially on those near rivers.
Threat and protection
The mountain pseudo-tarantula can be found moderately frequently in suitable habitats in Germany . There has been a decline in its entire range. In the Red List of Threatened Species of Animals, Plants and Fungi in Germany , the species is listed in the pre-warning list ("V"), although this is compared to the Red List 2016, in which the species was still listed in Category 3 ("Endangered") , a generally less dramatic inventory situation was determined. This can be justified with additional knowledge gained about the populations of the mountain pseudo-tarantula.
The global population of the mountain tarantula is not rated by the IUCN .
Way of life
The mountain is one Scheintarantel like all Scheintaranteln ( Aloepcosa ) undermines the vast majority nocturnal wolf spiders and serving burrows as whereabouts of the spider. While the adult individuals leave their living tube during the day only to sunbathe and at dusk, younger specimens can also be found occasionally during the day.
Hunting behavior and catch of prey
Like almost all spiders, the mountain tarantula lives as predators . Like the majority of the species within the wolf spider family, it hunts without a safety net , but hunts prey freely. As with all wolf spiders hunting without a spider web, these are optically located and, as soon as they come within range, caught in a surprise jump. A poison bite puts the prey out of action.
Life cycle
The life cycle of the mountain tarantula is divided into several stages and also depends on the seasons.
Activity time
The period of activity of adult specimens of the mountain tarantula amounts to the period between September and June for both sexes.
Reproduction
The mating season for the mountain tarantula takes place between April and June. The reproduction of the species does not differ significantly from that of other wolf spiders. A sexually mature male looks for a female's living tube and feeds it with a courtship dance .
Some time after mating, the female produces an egg sac in which it as for wolf spiders common to the spinnerets attached rumträgt with it. The newly hatched young first climb onto the opisthosoma of their mother and let them carry them for a while before they become independent. The young animals then grow up to September at the earliest. The spiders overwinter in their living tubes.
Systematics
The mountain pseudo-tarantula was classified in the genus Araneus (today the genus of the cross spiders ) during its first description in 1757 by its first describer Carl Alexander Clerck and was given the name Araneus inquilinus . Under Carl Friedrich Roewer , the species was classified in the genus of the pseudo-tarantulas ( Alopecosa ) and the mountain pseudo-tarantula now has the scientific name Alopecosa inquilina . The species has been given additional names by various authors.
The scientific species name inquilina is derived from the Latin word inquilina , which means something like "roommate" or "immigrant citizen".
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) from araneae - Spiders of Europe, accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos spider guide. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 2nd edition, 2016, ISBN 978-3-440-14895-2 , p. 176.
- ↑ a b Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) at the Wiki der Arachnologische Gesellschaft e. V., accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ a b c Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) from Danmarks edderkopper, accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ Konrad Thaler, Jan Buchar: Die Wolfspinnen von Österreich 1: Genera Acantholycosa, Alopecosa, Lycosa (Arachnida, Araneida: Lycosidae) - Faunistic-animal-geographic overview. In: Carinthia II. 104./184. Year, Klagenfurt 1994, pp. 357-375 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
- ↑ Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) at the Red List Center, accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ^ Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ Carl Alexander Clerck : Svenska spindlar, uti sina hufvud-slågter indelte including under några and sextio särskildte arter deskrefne and with illuminerade figurer uplyste. Stockholmiae 1757, pp. 88-89, doi : 10.5962 / bhl.title.119890
- ^ Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed on May 17, 2020.
- ↑ Keyword inquilinus in Pons, online dictionary, Latin – German, Stuttgart 2001–2020, accessed on May 24, 2020.
literature
- Carl Alexander Clerck : Svenska spindlar, uti sina hufvud-slågter indelte samt under några and sextio särskildte arter deskrefne and with illuminerade figurer uplyste. Stockholmiae 1757, doi : 10.5962 / bhl.title.119890 , pp. 88-89 (first description).
- Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos spider guide. Over 400 species in Europe. Kosmos Naturführer, Kosmos (Franckh-Kosmos), 2nd edition, 2016, ISBN 978-3-440-14895-2 .
Web links
- Alopecosa inquilina in the World Spider Catalog
- Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) in Fauna Europaea.
- Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility .
- Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) at the Red List Center.
- Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) in araneae - Spiders of Europe.
- Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) at the Wiki der Arachnologische Gesellschaft e. V.
- Alopecosa inquilina (Clerck, 1757) in Danmarks edderkopper.