Chaetopelma olivaceum

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Chaetopelma olivaceum
Chaetopelma olivaceum, female

Chaetopelma olivaceum , female

Systematics
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Tarantulas (Mygalomorphae)
Family : Tarantulas (Theraphosidae)
Subfamily : Ischnocolinae
Genre : Chaetopelma
Type : Chaetopelma olivaceum
Scientific name
Chaetopelma olivaceum
( CL Koch , 1841)

Chaetopelma olivaceum ( synonym : Chaetopelma gracile ) is a spider from the tarantula family(Theraphosidae). The type is prevalent in Western Asia represented, but also in Egypt and Sudan , as well as Cyprus occurs.

The English trivial names of Chaetopelma olivaceum are Israeli black tarantula , Black furry (tarantula) , Black tarantula and Middle East gold (tarantula) ; (Translated about "Israeli black tarantula", "Black fur tarantula", "Black tarantula" and "Golden Middle East tarantula").

features

Females in size comparison

The female of Chaetopelma olivaceum reaches a body length of around 40 to 50, maximum around 60 millimeters. The leg span in this case is over 100 millimeters. The male remains smaller with a body length of a good 25 to 35.3 millimeters. The basic color of the species is brown, with the prosoma appearing golden brown. It has no drawing or noticeable patches of color. The body structure of the species corresponds to that of other species of the genus Chaetopelma and thus, as with other spiders, there is a strongly pronounced sexual dimorphism in Chaetopelma olivaceum (difference between the sexes).

female

The following dimensions and properties were recorded for a Chaetopelma olivaceum female examined , which comes from Lebanon and has a body length of 43.3 millimeters: The carapace (back shield of the prosoma or front body) is 16.3 millimeters long and 14, 3 millimeters wide. The clypeus (section between the front pair of eyes and the edge of the carapace) is very narrow and the labium (lip) is 2.1 millimeters long and 2.7 millimeters wide. It has 56 humps. The eye mound typical of tarantulas is 1.5 millimeters wide and 2.2 millimeters long. As with tarantulas, the eyes are typically arranged in two rows, one above the other, with the upper row of eyes bent normally and the rear row slightly bent back. The chelicerae (jaw claws) have 13 teeth and the maxillae (modified coxae (hip joints) of the pedipalps (converted extremities in the head area)) have about 100 cusps at the inner angle. The sternum (breast plate of the prosoma) has a length of 6.7 and a width of 5.8 millimeters and is oval in shape. The fovea (depression in the carapace) lies transversely and is slightly curved backwards. The epigyne (female sex organ) is made up of two spermatheks (seed pockets), each longer than wide and very thin in the apical section. They are provided with two lobes at the end and directed outwards.

male

male

For a male specimen , also from Lebanon , with a length of 35.3 millimeters, the following dimensions and properties were determined: Its carapace is 16.1 millimeters long and 13.7 millimeters wide. In this male, the eye mound is 1.6 millimeters long and 2 millimeters wide. Otherwise, like the clypeus, its properties, including those of the eyes, correspond to those of the female. The labium has a length of 2.0 and a width of 2.6 millimeters as well as 55 cusps and the sternum a length of 6.7 and a width of 5.9 millimeters. The maxilla of the male holotype has 110 cusps. The sternum and fovea are structured like the female holotype. The bulbi (male sexual organs) each have a long and thin embolus (tips of the bulbi) with a helical twist. The tibia apophysis (chitinized process) has two branches. One of them is arranged prolaterally and is shorter. There is a spike on each base. The other branch is retrolateral, longer than the prolateral and has a curved course. This is widened in the distal area and provided with a row of 12 spikes on the apical side.

Similar species

Chaetopelma olivaceum is very similar to the other species of the genus, so that they can usually only be reliably distinguished from one another by genital morphological features. Most similar to C. olivaceum is the species Chaetopelma karlamani . The males of C. olivaceum can be clearly distinguished from those of C. karlamani by the structure of the tibial apophysis. In C. olivaceum , unlike in C. karlamani , the retrolateral branch is wider in the apical part and, unlike this, also has a row of 12 instead of just 9 spines. There are also other similar species in the subfamily Ischnocolinae .

Occurrence

Sometimes old facilities like the ruins of Bellapais Abbey in Northern Cyprus are inhabited by Chaetopelma olivaceum .

The range of Chaetopelma olivaceum includes Cyprus , Egypt , Israel , Jordan , Lebanon , Palestine , Saudi Arabia , Sudan , Syria and, according to some sightings, Iraq , where the adaptable species is found in a variety of habitats including human structures.

habitat

Female on a house wall in Galilee (Northern Israel )

In the wild, Chaetopelma olivaceum lives particularly in forests and steppes , where it can often be found under stones or tree bark. As a cultural follower , the species can also be found in settlement areas, where it often inhabits the walls of old buildings and settles at heights of one to two meters in wall cracks. In settlements, the spider also often inhabits dark and damp places, such as drains, sewers and wells. Occasionally the species is also found in gardens. Most often, however, abandoned structures, such as ruins or graves, are inhabited with this property.

Threat and protection

Since Chaetopelma olivaceum is not recorded by the IUCN , there is no information on population threats of the species.

Way of life

Free running female on a wall

Chaetopelma olivaceum is one of the ground-dwelling tarantulas and, like many other species in the family, uses this way of life, especially in the wild, to dig up living tubes that are lined with webs . In the cracks in the walls of various buildings, the spider then creates significantly smaller webs of living space and is therefore more difficult to spot, at least during the day. It is noteworthy that the species predominantly inhabits the cracks of walls facing north. The density of individuals is often high, so that several specimens of the species can be found at the same location.

Like all tarantulas, Chaetopelma olivaceum is nocturnal and lives very secluded. The spider only shows up in the evening at the mouth or outside of its shelter. Because of their habitat, millipedes in particular are often prey of the species. In addition, small vertebrates, such as smaller rodents or reptiles , are also preyed on by Chaetopelma olivaceum . It is not uncommon for exoskeletons or other remains of eaten prey animals to be visible at the exits of the web of living spaces .

Defense behavior

Threatening a female

Chaetopelma olivaceum is one of the tarantula species with a higher level of defense, contrary to what the comparatively high intra-species tolerance might suggest. When encounters with possible predators (predators), the species often takes a threatening gesture that is common for tarantulas , in which the spider stands up and raises the first pair of legs and the pedipalps. The spider hits the attacker with its raised extremities if the attacker approaches. As a last resort, she can defend herself with one bite. Occasionally, when disturbed, Chaetopelma olivaceum prefers to flee or pretends to be dead.

Phenology

The phenology (activity time) of Chaetopelma olivaceum amounts to the whole year, however the activity of the species decreases in the cold season. Adult males can also be found free-roaming outside their hiding places between April and July looking for female mates.

Reproduction

The reproductive behavior of Chaetopelma olivaceum does not deviate significantly from that of other tarantulas, and the mating itself, which has so far mainly been observed in captivity, is mostly peaceful. Some time after mating, the female creates an egg cocoon, from which the young hatch again after a further interval. The hatching rate of Chaetopelma olivaceum is comparatively high. The brood care provided by the species is interesting . The female passes on killed prey to its offspring, who then participate in the consumption. Exactly how long the young stay with the mother is not known. The high number of young animals explains the low intrinsic aggressiveness in Chaetopelma olivaceum . Young animals separated from the mother can also grow up independently and in this case behave like adult spiders.

Natural enemies

The most important enemies of Chaetopelma olivaceum are represented in Israel wasps Hemipepsis brunnea and Pseudopompilus humboldti from the family of Pompilidae. As with all species in this family, mated females of these wasps look for specimens of the preferred spider species, then give them a paralyzing sting and bury them in a hole in the ground before they lay an egg on a single stunned spider. The hatched larva then consumes the immobile spider.

Chaetopelma olivaceum and human

Chaetopelma olivaceum has different reputations with different people. In the North African areas, for example, the species is feared because of its painful bite (see chapter Toxicity and bite accidents ).

Toxicity and bite accidents

Ventral detailed view of a threatening female with the clearly visible chelicerae (jaw claws)

Due to the size of their chelicerae, as with all tarantulas, Chaetopelma olivaceum is able to penetrate the human skin with them. As with most other species in the family, the bite itself usually runs without any medically relevant symptoms and its effects are usually compared to a wasp sting. However, it should be noted that people can react differently to the poison of the species depending on their age and health condition, including a possible allergy - there are also known cases in which victims of bites were clinically treated for eight days.

Terrariums

Like other tarantulas, Chaetopelma olivaceum is occasionally kept as a pet in terrariums , but is less popular in this area compared to other species in the family, presumably due to their comparatively low-contrast coloring. Before buying one or more specimens of the species one should be aware of its nervous nature. In addition, the climate in the natural range of Chaetopelma olivaceum must be simulated as well as possible for a natural attitude , i.e. In other words, in summer you should let the ground of the terrarium dry out when the temperatures are high enough and, because of this, always provide a drinking vessel for the spider. In winter, the temperature should be lowered to around 15 degrees Celsius for four weeks to mimic the cold season of their natural habitat .

Systematics

The species Chaetopelma olivaceum was classified by its first describer Carl Ludwig Koch in 1841 like all tarantulas in the genus Mygale and received the name Mygale olivacea . The genus Chaetopelma was established by Eugène Simon in 1892 and Chaetopelma olivaceum became the type species of the genus. Since the holotype has been lost, there have been various other descriptions of the species, most recently in 2008 by the Brazilian arachnologist José Paulo Leite Guadanucci and the British arachnologist Richard C. Gallon . Selbige authors also have the kinds gracile Chaetopelma and Chaetopelma aegyptiacum (also referred to as "Egyptian tarantula") with Chaetopelma olivaceum synonymised , although Chaetopelma gracile as Chaetopelma aegyptiacum still occasionally erroneously as a separate species considered is.

In addition to the synonyms already mentioned, Chaetopelma olivaceum has others. These are:

  • schnocolus gracilis Ausserer , 1871
  • Ischnocolus syriacus Ausserer , 1871
  • Chaetopelma aegyptiaca Ausserer , 1871
  • Avicularia tetramera Simon , 1873
  • Avicularia striatocauda Simon , 1873
  • Nemesia concolor Simon , 1873
  • Ischnocolus striatocauda Ausserer , 1875
  • Cratorrhagus tetramera Simon , 1892
  • Cratorrhagus tetramerus Reimoser , 1919
  • Chaetopelma shabati Hassan , 1950
  • Cratorrhagus tetrameris Bonnet , 1956
  • Chaetopelma adenense Smith , 1990
  • Chaetopelma shabati Smith , 1990
  • Ischnocolus jerusalemensis Smith , 1990
  • Chaetopelma anatolicum Schmidt & Smith , 1995
  • Chaetopelma gracile Vollmer , 1997

See also

gallery

  • Dorsal view of a female

  • Ditto, with a threatening female

  • Frontal view of a female

  • Lateral view of a female

  • Rear view of a female

  • Menacing male

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Volker von Wirth: Vogelspinnen. 1st edition, Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2011, p. 19, ISBN 978-3-8338-2151-6 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j " Spiders of Cyprus " by Jason Steel, accessed April 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ Chaetopelma olivaceum (CL Koch, 1841) from araneae Spiders of Europe, by Wolfgang Nentwig, Theo Blick, Robert Bosmans, Daniel Gloor, Ambros Hänggi & Christian Kropf, accessed on April 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Chaetopelma olivaceum (CL Koch, 1841) at Arachnophilia.de, accessed on April 2, 2020.
  5. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j J. PL Guadanucci & RC Gallon: A revision of the spider genera Chaetopelma Ausserer 1871 and Nesiergus Simon 1903 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Ischnocolinae) , Zootaxa 1753, 2008, pp. 34-48 , accessed April 2, 2020.
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h " Cyprus " by Jan-Philipp Samadi, accessed on April 2, 2020.
  7. ↑ Chaetopelma olivaceum (CL Koch, 1841) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed on April 2, 2020.
  8. ^ A b I. Wendt, BF Striffler, F. Schneider: Social tarantulas? - Part 2 examples from Asia and Europe , Terraria (31), 2011, pp. 64–69, accessed on April 2, 2020.
  9. ^ " Tarantulas and Wasps, " by Diana Barshaw, accessed April 2, 2020.
  10. ^ S. Bettini: Arthropod Venoms , Springer Science & Business Media, 2013, p. 105.
  11. ↑ Chaetopelma olivaceum (CL Koch, 1841) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed April 2, 2020.

literature

Web links

Commons : Chaetopelma olivaceum  - album with pictures, videos and audio files