Aphonopelma behlei
| Aphonopelma behlei | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Subfamily: | Theraphosinae |
| Genus: | Aphonopelma |
| Species: | A. behlei |
| Binomial name | |
| Aphonopelma behlei Chamberlin, 1940 | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Aphonopelma behlei, also known as the Grand Canyon black tarantula, is regarded by some sources as a species that occurs in the southwestern United States,[2] and by other sources as synonymous with Aphonopelma marxi.[1]
Taxonomy
The species was first described by Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1940, and is named after biologist William H. Behle, who collected the type specimens in 1939.[3]
A 2016 study of Aphonopelma species found in the United States concluded that morphological and molecular analyses failed to distinguish A. behlei from A. marxi, and so reduced it to a synonym.[1]
Description
If a distinct species, Aphonopelma behlei spiders are dark black with long rust-colored hairs (setae) on the abdomen and legs, and are around 25 mm (0.98 in) in body length (35 mm (1.4 in) including the jaws). They were described as similar in appearance to A. simulatum (now also included in A. marxi [4]), differing in larger size body and relatively shorter length of the terminal limb segments (tarsi).[3]
Distribution
A. behlei occurs in Arizona, and possibly in New Mexico. A. behlei was described based on individuals collected in Grand Canyon Village, on the southern rim of the Grand Canyon in Coconino County, Arizona.[3] Additional specimens are known from further south in the region of Flagstaff,[2] and have been observed in Apache County, northwest Arizona.[5] Museum specimens from Aztec, New Mexico were originally assigned to A. behlei, but they may not be identifiable due to being in poor condition, and the distribution outside Arizona is uncertain.[2]
Ecology
A. behlei is considered a high elevation or montane species, occurring at elevations above 1,500 m (5,000 ft) to mountain tops over 2,700 m (9,000 ft).[5] A. behlei occurs in habitats dominated by blackbrush and, at higher elevations, pinyon-juniper woodlands.[2] It breeds in the fall. In some areas of Arizona it co-occurs with A. chalcodes, which is primarily a desert dweller and breeds during the summer. Young A. behlei reach 2.5 mm (0.1 in.) in carapace length by their second year.[6]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Hamilton, C.A.; Hendrixson, B.E. & Bond, J.E. (2016). "Taxonomic revision of the tarantula genus Aphonopelma Pocock, 1901 (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae) within the United States". ZooKeys 560: 1–340. doi:10.3897/zookeys.560.6264.
- 1 2 3 4 Smith, Andrew M. (1995). Tarantula Spiders: Tarantulas of the U.S.A. and Mexico. London: Fitzgerald Publishing. ISBN 09510939-9-1.
- 1 2 3 Chamberlin, R. V. (1940). "New American tarantulas of the family Aviculariidae" (PDF). Bulletin of the University of Utah 30 (13): 1–39.
- ↑ "Taxon details Aphonopelma marxi Chamberlin, 1940". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
- 1 2 Prendin, Lorenzo. "Southwestern U.S.A. (northeast Arizona)". Scorpion Systematics Research Group. Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ↑ Prentice, Thomas R. (1997). "Theraphosidae of the Mojave Desert west and north of the Colorado River (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae)". Journal of Arachnology 25 (2): 137–176. JSTOR 3705641.