Pamphobeteus
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Female of the black blue-rayed giant tarantula ( P. nigricolor ) |
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| Pamphobeteus | ||||||||||||
| Pocock , 1901 |
The genus Pamphobeteus belongs to the family of tarantulas (Theraphosidae) within the order of the web spiders (Araneae). The species belonging to the genus are medium to very large representatives of the tarantulas, which occur without exception in the north-west of South America .
Another characteristic feature of the species of the genus Pamphobeteus is adjacent to the stately for Vogelspinnen dimensions of individual species, a further at the extremities of the males of some representatives and a few also at the carapace (back plate of the Prosomas by, or forebody) iridescence (light fraction) for the human Color shimmer visible to the eye, which is mostly perceived in pink, purple or blue tones. In addition, especially the young of the genus Pamphobeteus have striking color patterns. On the other hand, adult females are markedly less contrasting in color and usually have uniform brown to black coloring.
All described and some so far undescribed species of the genus are occasionally kept as pets in the terrarium hobby. In addition, the genus gained a certain fame because a previously undescribed species originating from Peru enters into a mutualistic relationship with the frog species Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata, as well as through a 2016 sighting in the Amazon rainforest of a female of an equally undefined species of the genus, a slender-pouched rat consumed.
features
The body length varies in the different species, but is usually around 70 to 90 millimeters on average. The dimensions of some species go beyond this. The Colombian giant pink tarantula ( P. ornatus ) can have a body length of approx. 100 millimeters and the Peruvian blue-footed giant tarantula ( P. antinous ) a good 110 millimeters. The leg span of most species averages 160 millimeters, although it can also be significantly higher, as in the case of the giant Peruvian blue-footed tarantula with a value of around 210 millimeters. This genus therefore also includes species that are counted among the largest tarantulas.
Many species have a comparatively strong physique and a basic color that can range from light brown to deep black, depending on the species. Note the pronounced particularly in young animals star-shaped drawing on the carapace (back plate of the Prosomas , and front body), and in some species, such as the Peru-Blaufuß giant Vogelspinne ( P. antinous ) a color cast on the legs. This shimmer of color sometimes appears not only on the legs, but also on the carapace, often in pink, purple or blue tones. The color shimmer is created by iridescence (refraction of light) and is therefore particularly clear in the light, which is actually an optical perception and not color pigments . The juveniles of the brown Colombian giant tarantula ( P. fortis ) and the black blue-rayed giant tarantula ( P. nigricolor ) have a red-colored opisthosoma and on its dorsal side a black drawing that is reminiscent of a Christmas tree . In both species this color is lost as development progresses and is no longer present in the adult spiders.
In addition, all species of the genus have stridulation organs on the front of the coxae (hip joints) of the first pair of legs and others on the opposite side of the coxae of the pedipalps (transformed extremities in the head area). These are used for defense and the species-specific communication in courtship and defense.
Furthermore, like many other tarantulas in the New World , all species belonging to the genus have stinging hairs on the opisthosoma (abdomen), which means that they are counted as bombardable spiders.
Sexual dimorphism
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Like many spiders, the species of the genus Pamphobeteus also have a considerable sexual dimorphism (difference between the sexes), which is primarily noticeable in the physique. In the females, as in all tarantulas, this is considerably sturdier than in the smaller male. In addition, both sexes of the genus also differ in terms of color. The iridescent shimmer of color is particularly pronounced in the males, which means that they can be visually perceived with more contrast than the females and, apart from the star pattern of the carapace, which is also clearly recognizable in the females of some species, individuals of this sex appear almost uniformly dark in color .
Structure of the sexual organs
As with all spiders, the male sexual organs, the bulbi , are located at the ends of the pedipalps. The emboli (organs of insertion of the bulb) are concave-convex and spoon-shaped. On the apical side, they each have a strongly pronounced keel that extends to the edge of the embolus. In addition, there is another keel on the retrolateral side of an individual embolus and another keel on the prolateral side, which is placed in front.
The epigyne (female sexual organ) has a spermathek (seed pocket) with two sperm vessels in the species of the genus . These are largely fused at the base and appear elongated on the apical side.
Genera with similar species
Within the subfamily Theraphosinae , to which the genus Pamphobeteus belongs, there are other genera that are similar to the species of the genus Pamphoebteus . Most of the similarities exist with the genus Xenesthis , whose species sometimes share habitats with some species of the genus Pamphobeteus and with these have a similar body size and a remarkable color scheme. In contrast to these, the representatives of the genus Pamphobeteus have no scopula (leg hair) on the metatarsi (first limbs of the tarsi or foot limbs) of the first pair of legs on the apical side.
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The species of the genus Pamphobeteus are also similar to those of the genus Lasiodora , to which individual species of the genus Pamphoebteus were also once counted. However, this genus occurs mainly in Central America and in the southeast of South America. Both genera can also be differentiated by the scopula of the first pair of legs, which in the Pamphobeteus genus, unlike the Lasiodora genus, is absent on the underside of the femora (thighs) of this pair of legs.
In addition, there are some similarities with species of the genus Megaphobema , in which, however, the third and fourth pair of legs are much larger and stronger than the two previous ones, which is not the case with the genus Pamphobeteus .
Occurrence
All species of the genus Pamphobeteus occur in the north-west of South America , with the main distribution in the Andes mountain range and preferably in the Colombian part of this mountain range. Other species inhabit the western Amazon rainforest .
habitat
All representatives of the genus are rainforest inhabitants who, according to their way of life, are mainly found on the ground.
Threat and protection
The IUCN does not assess the population of any species of the genus Pamphobeteus , which means that no information is available about possible threats to the species. Accordingly, none of the species is placed under species protection.
Way of life
All species of the genus Pamphobeteus are ground-dwelling and, like most tarantulas with this way of life, dig burrows that can be quite deep and are lined with webs . When the opportunity arises, existing hiding places are accepted, provided with a web and, if necessary, expanded. The shelter serves as the abode of the spiders.
Like all tarantulas, the species of the genus are predominantly nocturnal and mostly hide in their hiding places during the day. From dusk onwards, the spiders come out in search of prey.
Hunting behavior and range of prey
Like almost all spiders predators living species of the genus Pamphobeteus live like for tarantulas usual freewheeling as lurking predators and are therefore no safety net from. Like all members of the family, they track down potential prey primarily by means of their movement through the sensilla (sensory hair) and grab them in a flash as soon as they come within range. A poison bite then incapacitates the captured prey.
Due to the size of these spiders, the prey spectrum of the species is extensive compared to other representatives of this order. It is made up of other arthropods of various sizes as well as smaller vertebrates , including reptiles and amphibians, and rodents of appropriate sizes.
A female specimen of an indeterminate species of the genus Pamphobeteus , which was spotted in 2016, received special attention and was able to capture a slim-pouch rat , presumably an individual of the white-bellied slim-pouch rat ( Marmosops noctivagus ). The spider was observed on its nocturnal foray on the floor of the Amazon rainforest and when it was first sighted it had grabbed the bag rat by the neck with the help of the chelicerae (jaw claws). The already severely weakened opossum tried to free itself from its hunter with slow kicks. After a while, the opossum's movements finally subsided and the spider dragged it around with it while it ate the prey at the same time.
Interrelation with frogs
A previously undescribed species of the genus Pamphobeteus from Peru is a mutualistic relationship with the also occurring there Engmaulfrosch chiasmocleis ventrimaculata one. The spider often gives several specimens of the frog refuge in its own shelter and does not attack them. It is believed that the frog is spared the spider due to skin secretions it secretes.
In company with the tarantula, the frog is safe from some predators (predators) such as smaller snakes and other spiders that are consumed by the owner of the shelter or driven from its territory. In return, the frog probably protects egg cocoons and young descendants of the spider from threats such as ants and parasites , e.g. Two-winged .
Similar correlations were in Sri Lanka with the Engmaulfröschen Uperodon nagaoi and kaloula taprobanica and tarantulas species Poecilotheria ornata and the belonging to the same genus Vogelspinnenart P. subfusca and beyond in Mexico with the Pfeiffröschen counting, very small tungara frog ( engystomops pustulosus ) and the striped Guatemala tarantula ( Aphonopelma seemanni ).
Defense behavior and defense strategies
The species of the genus Pamphobeteus are predominantly not considered to be aggressive, but rather shy and try to flee to their refuge when disturbed. They also tend to defend themselves through so-called bombing, in which the stinging hairs are stripped off and thrown in the direction of an attacker.
In addition, the species belonging to the genus can defend themselves by means of stridulation . To do this, the spiders lift their hind legs, on which the stridulation organs are located (see section " Characteristics ") and thus adopt a leg position that is reminiscent of those that the spiders adopt when bombing. The spider then rubs the stridulation hairs on the coxae on the setae (hairs) of the abdomen, causing a whistling stridulation sound to be heard.
Like other tarantula species, these spiders can also use the threatening gestures typical of this subordination to signal readiness for defense. The prosoma is erected, the pedipalps and the first pair of legs raised, and the chelicerae spread. If the provocation persists, a bite may occur. The spider toxin (poison) of some species, for example the black blue-ray giant tarantula ( P. nigricolor ) has already been investigated. The bite of the species of the genus Pamphobeteus is also painful for humans and causes other complaints, especially in children, but usually does not remain of high medical relevance.
Life cycle and phenology
The life cycle of the species of the genus amounts to several phases. A uniform phenology (activity time) does not exist for the species of the genus, as is customary for rainforest dwellers due to the little or no seasonal fluctuations that exist there.
pairing
The reproductive behavior of the species of the genus Pamphobeteus is identical to that of other tarantulas. A sexually mature male first transfers his sperm to a so-called sperm network and then absorbs the sperm from this into the bulb before looking for a sexually mature female, who can find it as such at a greater distance through pheromones produced by the latter and placed on the web can. If a male has found a sexual partner , it drums on the ground in front of the web in front of the web for courtship and thereby reveals itself as a conspecific willing to mate. When ready to mate, the female also replies by drumming. In addition, both sexual partners also communicate using stridulation. In the position typical of tarantulas during mating, the apophyses on the tibia (greaves) of the male are also used. The mating is mostly peaceful.
Egg laying and hatching
Some time after mating, the mated female makes an egg cocoon , which after successful fertilization contains several hundred eggs. Not infrequently, however, there is also a faulty fertilization and thus the creation of egg cocoons with unfertilized eggs, from which no young animals hatch.
After the young animals have hatched from the fertilized eggs after a while, they initially remain with the mother. In some species brood care has also been observed, in which the mother accustoms her offspring to previously caught prey and thus consumes them together. In some species, the young can stay with their mother for up to a year without cannibalism occurring.
Duration of adolescence and life expectancy
The juveniles of the genus Pamphobeteus grow, as is usual with spiders, over several skins ( moulting stages ) and, compared to other tarantulas, grow relatively quickly and need one to two years for this process. The average lifespan in females of the genus is around 15 years, while here, too, the males with a life expectancy of four years are significantly shorter-lived.
Terrariums
The species of the genus Pamphobeteus are occasionally kept as pets in the terrarium due to their imposing appearance for spiders and due to the distinctive coloring, especially in males , and are among the more frequently kept tarantula species. It is important to provide a terrarium that is large enough for the size of the spiders. As with all ground-dwelling tarantulas with a digging lifestyle, a sufficiently deep and digging underground and an existing shelter should also be provided here. In addition, when keeping one or more specimens of species of the genus, one should simulate the tropical climate, including humidity and temperature, as well as possible. As with most tarantulas, individual housing is advisable for all species of the genus due to the risk of cannibalism.
Both the described species and the previously undescribed species of the genus, which are then available as cultivated forms, are kept and also bred in captivity. Examples are Pamphobeteus sp. "Machala", Pamphobeteus sp. "Peru" and Pamphoebteus sp. "Platyomma". The latter should not be confused with the species of the same name, the species status of which is, however, questioned (see section “ Vitalius platyomma ”).
Systematics
The genus Pamphobeteus was first described in 1901 by Reginald Innes Pocock . After this first description, Pocock also incorporated some species that had previously been part of the genus Lasiodora into this genus. On the other hand, species from the genus Pamphobeteus were also converted into other genera in the past (mainly in 1993 by Sylvia Marlene Lucas , Pedro Ismael da Silva Jr. and Roberto Bertani after Vitalius ), so that it now contains significantly fewer species than before.
species
Today the genus has 12 described species. The type species of the genus is the black blue-ray giant tarantula ( Pamphobeteus nigricolor ). All valid species belonging to the genus and their distribution are:
- Giant Peru Blue-footed tarantula ( Pamphobeteus antinous ) Pocock , 1903 - Peru , Bolivia
- Pamphobeteus augusti ( Simon , 1889) - Ecuador
- Pamphobeteus crassifemur Bertani, Fukushima & Silva , 2008 - Brazil
- Pamphobeteus ferox ( Ausserer , 1875) - Colombia
- Brown Colombian giant tarantula ( Pamphobeteus fortis ) ( Ausserer , 1875) - Colombia
- Pamphobeteus grandis Bertani, Fukushima & Silva , 2008 - Brazil
- Colombian purple-rayed giant tarantula ( Pamphobeteus insignis ) Pocock , 1903 - Colombia
- Black blue-ray giant tarantula ( Pamphobeteus nigricolor ) ( Ausserer , 1875) - Colombia, Brazil
- Colombian giant pink tarantula ( Pamphobeteus ornatus ) Pocock , 1903 - Panama , Colombia
- Pamphobeteus petersi Schmidt , 2002 - Ecuador, Peru
- Bluemur tarantula ( Pamphobeteus ultramarinus ) Schmidt , 1995 - Ecuador
- Ecuadorian giant pink-tailed tarantula ( Pamphobeteus vespertinus ) ( Simon , 1889) - Ecuador
Vitalius platyomma
This species was first described in 1923 by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão under the name Pamphobeteus platyomma at the time. It was converted to the genus Vitalius in 1993 by Sylvia Marlene Lucas , Pedro Ismael da Silva Jr. and Roberto Bertani and has been called V. platyomma since then . The species status has been questioned since 2001. The German trivial names are "Brazilian pink-flower-giant tarantula" and "Brazilian pink-rayed giant tarantula". The species should not be associated with the cultivated form Pamphobeteus sp. "Platyomma", which is a previously undescribed species of the genus Pamphobeteus (see section " Terraristics ").
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans W. Kothe: tarantulas. 1st edition, Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, p. 39, ISBN 3-4400-9367-0 .
- ↑ a b Pamphobeteus antinous (Pocock), 1903 from Theraphosidae (Dutch), accessed on April 24, 2020
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Pamphobeteus (Pocock, 1901) at giantspiders.com, accessed on April 24, 2020.
- ↑ a b c R. Bertani, CS Fukushima, PI da Silva Junior: Two new species of Pamphobeteus Pocock 1901 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) from Brazil, with a new type of stridulatory organ , Zootaxa 1826, 1st volume, 2008, Pp. 45–58, accessed April 24, 2020.
- ↑ a b c P. Simonis, A. Bay, VL Welch, J. Colomer, and JP Vigneron: Cylindrical Bragg mirrors on leg segments of the male Bolivian blueleg tarantula Pamphobeteus antinous (Theraphosidae) , Optics Express 21, 6th volume, 2013 , Pp. 6979-6996, accessed April 24, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g Y. Cifuentes, S. Estrada-Gomez, LJ Vargas-Muñoz, C. Perafán: Description and molecular characterization of a new species of tarantula, Pamphobeteus verdolaga, from Colombia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) , Zoologia (Curitiba Impresso) 33, 6th volume, 2016, pp. 1–6, accessed on April 24, 2020.
- ↑ Xenesthis immanis (Ausserer, 1875) in Theraphosidae, accessed April 24, 2020.
- ^ RI Pocock: Some new and old genera of S.-American Avicularidae. Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 8, 7th volume, pp. 540-555.
- ↑ Pamphobeteus (Pocock, 1901) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed on 24 April 2020th
- ↑ R. von May, E. Biggi, H. Cárdenas, MI Diaz, C. Alarcón, V. Herrera, R. Santa-Cruz, F. Tomasinelli, EP Westeen, CM Sánchez-Paredes, JG Larson, PO Title, MR Grundler, MC Grundler, ARD Rabosky, DL Rabosky: Ecological interactions between arthropods and small vertebrates in a lowland Amazon rainforest , Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13, 1st volume, 2019, pp. 65-77, accessed on April 25, 2020.
- ^ A b c d F. Tomasinelli, E. Biggi: The odd couple: spider-frog mutualism in the Amazon rainforest , accessed April 25, 2020.
- ↑ C. Viera, MO Gonzaga: Behavior and Ecology of Spiders: Contributions from the Neotropical Region , Springer, 2017, pp. 44–45, ISBN 9783319657172 .
- ↑ United States. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health (US): National Institutes of Health Bulletin, Volumes 145-154 , US Government Printing Office, 1927, p. 498.
- ↑ a b Pamphobeteus (Pocock, 1901) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed April 25, 2020.
- ↑ Vitalius (Lucas, Silva & Bertani, 1993) in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed April 25, 2020.
literature
- Hans W. Kothe: tarantulas. 1st edition, Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-4400-9367-0 .
- Volker von Wirth: tarantulas. 1st edition. Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-8338-2151-6 .
- R. Bertani, CS Fukushima, PI da Silva Junior: Two new species of Pamphobeteus Pocock 1901 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) from Brazil, with a new type of stridulatory organ , Zootaxa 1826, 1st volume, 2008, p. 45– 58.
- Y. Cifuentes, S. Estrada-Gomez, LJ Vargas-Muñoz, C. Perafán: Description and molecular characterization of a new species of tarantula, Pamphobeteus verdolaga, from Colombia (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) , Zoologia (Curitiba Impresso) 33, 6. Volume, 2016, pp. 1-6.
Web links
- Pamphobeteus in the World Spider Catalog
- Pamphobeteus (Pocock, 1901) at Global Biodiversity Information Facility
- Pamphobeteus (Pocock, 1901) at Tarantupedia
- Pamphobeteus (Pocock, 1901) at giantspiders.com
- F. Tomasinelli, E. Biggi: The odd couple: spider-frog mutualism in the Amazon rainforest
