- Barking spider
Taxobox
name = Barking spider
image_caption =
image_width = 250px
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropoda
classis =Arachnida
ordo =Araneae
subordo =Mygalomorphae
familia =Theraphosidae
subfamilia =Selenocosmiinae
genus = "Selenocosmia "
species = "S. crassipes"
binomial = "Selenocosmia crassipes"
binomial_authority = (L. Koch,1874 )
range_
range_map_width = 250px
synonyms =The Barking spider ("Selenocosmia crassipes") is a species of
tarantula native to the east coast ofQueensland, Australia . Its name comes from the ability of this spider to produce a hissing noise when provoked, a trait it shares with nearly all Australian tarantulas (except some "Phlogiellus " species). This hissing is produced by the spider stridulating a patch of setae associated with itschelicerae .Phlogius Sp. Crassipes can attain legspans of up to convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on, with a few rare specimens reaching convert|22|cm|in|abbr=on. Its body typically measures between convert|7|and|9|cm|in|abbr=on. It has been described as Australia's largest spider.who
The young spiders burrow under rocks or roots; in adults, these burrows can reach a length of up to convert|2|m|ft and are lined with much silk. The adult males look very different from the females. They commonly prey on insects and small
vertebrate s such as frogs, mice, and lizards. There are two species in Australia closely related to Phlogius Crassipes: Phlogius Sp. 'Sarina' and Phlogius Sp. 'Eunice'. Both Tarantulas can attain legspans of convert|18|to|20|cm|in|0|abbr=on, with Sp. Crassipes boasting the thickest build, followed by Sp. Eunice; Sp. Sarina has the thinnest build.The species name "crassipes" is Latin for "fat leg".
Barking spiders are often confused with the species "Phlogiellus", which are often sold in pet shops as "S. crassipes".
Colloquial Use
The term barking spider is also used as a jocular reference to an audible instance of
flatulence . The term is somewhat of aeuphemism in this regard, and is often used to diffuse the awkwardness created by such an instance.External links
* [http://www.thedailylink.com/australiantarantulas/species/crassipes.html Steve Nunn's Australian Tarantulas]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
