- Harpactirinae
Taxobox
name = Baboon spider
image_width = 200px
image_caption = A "Pterinochilus murinus " tarantula
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropod a
classis =Arachnid a
ordo = Araneae
subordo =Mygalomorphae
familia =Theraphosidae
subfamilia = Harpactirinae
subfamilia_authority =
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Augacephalus "
"Ceratogyrus "
"Eucratoscelus "
"Harpactira "
"Harpactirella "
"Idiothele "
"Pterinochilus "
"Trichgnathella "Harpactirinae (commonly called baboon spiders) are a subfamily of old-world
tarantula s which are native to the continent ofAfrica . Like many old-world tarantulas, they have a strong venom, and can inflict a painful bite; however most baboon spiders are not considered dangerous to man. One species, "Harpactirella lightfooti", is considered by many to have a medically significant bite, but this has not been confirmed scientifically. Fact|date=November 2007Description
Like many tarantulas, Harpactirinae are large, hairy
spider s. The size of their bodies ranges from 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches. Colours include various shades of black, grey, brown, and yellow. These spiders have thick blackscorpulae pads at the end of their legs, which are said to resemble the feet ofbaboon s. They generally feature medium to smalltheraphosid s with various dorsal abdominal patterns of colouration.Harpactirinae are ground-dwelling spiders who build silk-lined burrows, often under debris such as stones, using their fangs and
chelicerae for digging. Habitats includesavanna woodlands, grasslands, and dry scrublands.Systematics
The following genera and species are present in Harpactirinae. In addition, the genus "
Brachionopus " (Pocock, 1897) has been suggested for placement in this sub-family, but its taxonomy is currently disputed."Augacephalus"
"
Augacephalus " Gallon, 2002
* "Augacephalus breyeri " (Hewitt, 1919) (South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland)
* "Augacephalus junodi " (Simon, 1904) (East, South Africa)"Ceratogyrus"
"
Ceratogyrus " Pocock, 1897
* "Ceratogyrus bechuanicus " Purcell, 1902 (Southern Africa)
* "Ceratogyrus brachycephalus " Hewitt, 1919 (Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa)
* "Ceratogyrus darlingi " Pocock, 1897 (Zimbabwe, Mozambique)
* "Ceratogyrus dolichocephalus " Hewitt, 1919 (Zimbabwe)
* "Ceratogyrus ezendami " Gallon, 2001 (Mozambique)
* "Ceratogyrus hillyardi " (Smith, 1990) (Malawi)
* "Ceratogyrus marshalli " Pocock, 1897 (Zimbabwe, Mozambique)
* "Ceratogyrus meridionalis " (Hirst, 1907) (Malawi, Mozambique)
* "Ceratogyrus paulseni " Gallon, 2005 (South Africa)
* "Ceratogyrus pillansi " (Purcell, 1902) (Zimbabwe, Mozambique)
* "Ceratogyrus sanderi " Strand, 1906 (Namibia, Zimbabwe)"Eucratoscelus"
"
Eucratoscelus " Pocock, 1898
* "Eucratoscelus constrictus " (Gerstäcker, 1873) (Kenya, Tanzania)
* "Eucratoscelus pachypus " Schmidt & von Wirth, 1990 (Tanzania)"Harpactira"
"
Harpactira " Ausserer, 1871
* "Harpactira atra " (Latreille, 1832) (South Africa)
* "Harpactira baviana " Purcell, 1903 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira cafreriana " (Walckenaer, 1837) (South Africa)
* "Harpactira chrysogaster " Pocock, 1897 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira curator " Pocock, 1898 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira curvipes " Pocock, 1897 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira dictator " Purcell, 1902 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira gigas " Pocock, 1898 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira guttata " Strand, 1907 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira hamiltoni " Pocock, 1902 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira lineata " Pocock, 1897 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira lyrata " (Simon, 1892) (South Africa)
* "Harpactira marksi " Purcell, 1902 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira namaquensis " Purcell, 1902 (Namibia, South Africa)
* "Harpactira pulchripes " Pocock, 1901 (South Africa)
* "Harpactira tigrina " Ausserer, 1875 (South Africa)"Harpactirella"
"
Harpactirella " Purcell, 1902
* "Harpactirella domicola " Purcell, 1903 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella flavipilosa " Lawrence, 1936 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella helenae " Purcell, 1903 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella insidiosa " (Denis, 1960) (Morocco)
* "Harpactirella karrooica " Purcell, 1902 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella lapidaria " Purcell, 1908 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella lightfooti " Purcell, 1902 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella longipes " Purcell, 1902 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella magna " Purcell, 1903 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella schwarzi " Purcell, 1904 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella spinosa " Purcell, 1908 (South Africa)
* "Harpactirella treleaveni " Purcell, 1902 (South Africa)"Idiothele"
"
Idiothele " Hewitt, 1919
* "Idiothele nigrofulva " (Pocock, 1898) (Southern Africa)"Pterinochilus"
"
Pterinochilus " Pocock, 1897
* "Pterinochilus alluaudi " Berland, 1914 (Kenya)
* "Pterinochilus chordatus " (Gerstäcker, 1873) (East Africa)
* "Pterinochilus leetzi " Schmidt, 2002 (Zambia)
* "Pterinochilus lugardi " Pocock, 1900 (Southern, East Africa)
* "Pterinochilus murinus " Pocock, 1897 (Angola, Central, East, Southern Africa)
* "Pterinochilus simoni " Berland, 1917 (Angola, Congo)
* "Pterinochilus vorax " Pocock, 1897 (Angola, Central, East Africa)"Trichognathella"
"
Trichognathella " Gallon, 2004
* "Trichognathella schoenlandi " (Pocock, 1900) (South Africa)External links
* [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/INTRO3.html Norman I. Platnick: The World Spider Catalog, American Museum of Natural History.]
* [http://www.museums.org.za/bio/spiderweb/therapho.htm Museums of Cape Town: Baboon spiders]
* [http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/november/baboon.htm Science in Africa: The Baboon spiders of South Africa]
* [http://www.baboonspiders.de/html_en/systematics.html www.baboonspiders.de Baboon spiders Systematic Taxonomy]
* [http://baboonspiders.de/html_en/key.html www.baboonspiders.de Key of the genera of the subfamily Harpactirinae]
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