Peru blue footed giant tarantula

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Peru blue footed giant tarantula
Peru giant blue-footed tarantula (Pamphobeteus antinous), female

Peru giant blue-footed tarantula ( Pamphobeteus antinous ), female

Systematics
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Tarantulas (Mygalomorphae)
Family : Tarantulas (Theraphosidae)
Subfamily : Theraphosinae
Genre : Pamphobeteus
Type : Peru blue footed giant tarantula
Scientific name
Pamphobeteus antinous
Pocock , 1903

The Peru-blue-footed giant tarantula or Peruvian-Bolivian blue-footed giant tarantula ( Pamphobeteus antinous ) is a spider from the family of tarantulas (Theraphosidae). The trivial names come from the visual appearance of the male and the distribution area in western South America .

In English the species is called Bolivian blue leg birdeater , Steely blue leg or Big black tarantula (translated as "Bolivian blue leg bird eater", "Steel blue leg" and "Big black tarantula").

features

Prepared male in whom the iridescent shimmer of color is not recognizable.

With a body length of usually 70 to 80 or in rare cases up to about 110 millimeters and a leg span of about 190 to 210 millimeters, the giant Peruvian blue-footed tarantula is one of the largest members of the family. It has stinging hairs and, like many other South American species, is one of the tarantulas that can be bombarded.

Sexual dimorphism

Like many spiders, including tarantulas, the Peruvian blue-footed giant tarantula has a noticeable sexual dimorphism (difference between the two sexes). The mostly larger and stronger female has predominantly olive-black hair and long reddish hair on the extremities and on the opisthosoma (abdomen), which makes it appear woolly and almost uniformly black. As with all species of the genus Pamphobeteus, the smaller and snottier male is much more conspicuously colored and has a steel-blue basic color. In addition, the femores of the male have a copper-colored and purple sheen . However, these colors are due to iridescence . Without this, the male appears dark brown.

Similar species

Female of the smaller Colombian giant tarantula ( Xenesthis immanis )

Similar species of the giant Peruvian blue-footed tarantula can be found in the genus Pamphobeteus , among others . An example is the Ecuadorian red-rayed giant tarantula ( Pamphobeteus vespertinus ), whose females resemble those of the Peruvian blue-footed giant tarantula . Like all species of the genus Pamphobeteus has the Peru-Blaufuß giant Vogelspinne also common with species of the genus Xenesthis (BSP. Smaller Colombian giant bird spider ( X. immanis )), since the kinds of both genera an eye-catching color pattern on the carapace (back plate of the Prosomas , or front body). In contrast to these, the representatives of the genus Pamphobeteus do not have a scopula (leg hair) on the metatarsi (first limbs of the tarsi or phalanges).

Occurrence

A jungle forest in Peru , one of the habitats of the Peruvian blue-footed giant tarantula.

The Peruvian blue-footed giant tarantula is represented in Bolivia and Peru and inhabits the tropical rainforests there, where it prefers to stay on the ground according to its lifestyle.

Threat and protection

No information is available about possible threats to the Peruvian bluebolt tarantula, as the stocks of the species are not assessed by the IUCN.

Way of life

The Peruvian blue-footed giant tarantula is one of the ground-dwelling tarantulas and digs for living tubes that can reach down about one and a half meters into the depth. As with other tarantulas with a comparable way of life, the living tubes are lined with a web . It is not uncommon for other existing shelters to be adopted, such as abandoned structures for rodents or the underground of tree roots. This nocturnal species is particularly evident in the evening at the exit of its shelter, where it lurks for prey.

Defense behavior

Females with a raised opisthosoma and the "bald head" caused by a bombardment attack and shedding of the stinging hair.

The Peruvian blue-footed tarantula is one of the more aggressive species in the family, but still prefers to flee first and tries to retreat to its hiding place when it encounters possible predators , often at the same time by bombarding itself (stripping the stinging hair into the Direction of predators). If the disturbance persists or the escape is prevented, the spider turns towards the attacker and bombs him directly by lifting its opisthosoma and thus being able to strip off the stinging hairs in the direction of the predator. Like other tarantulas, the Peruvian blue-footed tarantula can also defend itself with a threatening gesture or, if it is ineffective, with a poison bite.

Reproduction

The courtship and reproductive behavior of the Peruvian blue-footed tarantula are identical to that of other tarantulas. Occasionally the female behaves quite aggressively towards the male, whereby the male can also be exposed to cannibalism on the part of the female during the entire reproductive process. Two to five months after mating, the mated female creates an egg cocoon that contains an average of 100 eggs. Occasionally the female will eat her egg cocoon. While the female takes four to five years to reach sexual maturity, this period is only two to three years for the male. As is usual with tarantulas, the female Peruvian blue-footed tarantula is much more durable, with a maximum life expectancy of 15 years, while the male reaches a significantly shorter age of four to five years.

Terrariums

The Peru blue-footed tarantula, like many other species of tarantula, is often kept in the terrarium . For successful keeping, the temperature and humidity of their natural and tropical habitat must be simulated as well as possible. In addition, due to the comparatively large final size for tarantulas, the dwelling should have corresponding dimensions and, in addition, because of the spider's digging lifestyle, it should be provided with a correspondingly deep substrate. Before buying one or more specimens of the giant Peruvian blue-footed tarantula, you should also be aware of the high level of defense and the way the species lives in hiding during the day.

Systematics

The giant Peruvian blue-footed tarantula was already referred to as Pamphobeteus antinous in 1903 by its first describer, Reginald Innes Pocock , and received no synonyms or changes to other genera.

gallery

  • Dorsal view of a female

  • Frontal view of a female

  • Lateral view of a female

  • Rear view of a female

  • Groomed female

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Pamphobeteus antinous (Pocock), 1903 from Theraphosidae (Dutch), accessed on March 24, 2020
  2. ↑ P. Simonis, A. Bay, V. Welch, JF Colomer: Cylindrical Bragg mirrors on leg segments of the male Bolivian blueleg tarantula Pamphobeteus antinous (Theraphosidae) , Optics Express 21 (6), 2013, pp. 6979-6996, accessed on March 24, 2020
  3. ↑ a b Pamphobeteus antinous (Pocock), 1903 in the WSC World Spider Catalog , accessed March 24, 2020
  4. ↑ a b c d Pamphobeteus antinous (Pocock), 1903 from Tarantulas US, accessed March 24, 2020
  5. ↑ Pamphobeteus antinous (Pocock), 1903 at Global Biodiversity Information Facility , accessed on 24 March 2020

literature

Web links

Commons : Peru Blue Footed Giant Tarantula  - Album containing pictures, videos and audio files