Chaetopelma karlamani
| Chaetopelma karlamani | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chaetopelma karlamani | ||||||||||||
| Vollmer , 1997 |
Chaetopelma karlamani is a small European tarantula species from Cyprus, which was discovered in 1995 andfirst describedby Patrick Vollmer in 1997. The species was named after R. Karlaman, the Cypriot friend of the descriptor and the discoverer of the holotype . The holotype (male) was found under a rock in a goat pen in Lapta . The first paratype (female) hidunder rotting wooden beams in the garden of a holiday homein Karaman . The species isvery smallfor the genus Chaetopelma .
Appearance
The females reach a body length of two centimeters. The color of the female varies in the spectrum from dark brown to chocolate brown to light brown. The cephalothorax of the first paratype is 8.3 millimeters long and 7 millimeters wide. The sperm library consists of two widely spaced receptacles that are slightly thickened at the end.
The males are beige to sandy brown in color and are only about 1.5 centimeters long. This is relatively small for the genus. The shape and structure of the bulb and embulus also differ from other species of the Chaetopelma genus . The cephalothorax of the holotype is 5.5 millimeters long and 4.2 millimeters wide.
Occurrence and way of life
So far, the species has only been discovered in a strip about 35 kilometers long on the north side of the Pentadaktylos Mountains (from Güzelyali to Arapköy ). The animals are cultural followers and occur increasingly in the vicinity of settlements. You can find them in the walls of stables, under stones, in animal enclosures or generally in places with many insects. There are up to four spiders per square meter and, if there is good food, up to six individuals per square meter.
The males have their mature molt in autumn. Mating usually takes place in spring. The cocoons contain around 15 to 30 eggs and are built by the females in the two summer months of June and July. The nymphs hatch about three to five weeks later.
Web links
Chaetopelma karlamani in the World Spider Catalog