Aphonopelma

Taxobox
name = "Aphonopelma"


image_caption = Male "Aphonopelma" sp., likely "A. iodius"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Arachnida
ordo = Araneae
subordo = Mygalomorphae
familia = "Theraphosidae"
subfamilia = Theraphosinae
genus = "Aphonopelma"
genus_authority = Pocock, 1901
diversity_link = List of Theraphosidae species#Aphonopelma
diversity = 90 species
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision ="A. anax"
"A. bicoloratum"
"A. caniceps"
"A. chaoana"
"A. chalcodes"
"A. clarum"
"A. crinirufum"
"A. hentzi"
"A. iodius"
"A. moderatum"
"A. pallidum"
"A. seemanni"
"others"

"Aphonopelma" is a genus of tarantulas including nearly all of the North American tarantulas north of Mexico and a considerable part of the tarantulas which range into Central America. Only a few species are described from South America. About 90 species have been described, but many, if not most, of these are inadequately studied and very little is known about them. Most are large and, like other New World tarantulas, they have urticating hairs. Most are docile in captivity. The taxonomy is poorly understood and species are difficult to tell apart, especially those that are brown or black without other pattern.

In captivity they will eat crickets, in the wild they will eat most smaller insects.

The type species is "Aphonopelma seemanni" or Zebra tarantula (F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1897), which has striped legs. This species produces silk from spinnerets on the feet as well as in the abdomen. [cite journal | first = SN | last = Gorb | coauthors = Niederegger S, Hayashi CY, Summers AP, Votsch W, Walther P | year = 2006 | month = Sep 28 | title = Biomaterials: silk-like secretion from tarantula feet | journal = Nature | volume = 443 | issue = 7110 | pages = 407 | pmid = 17006505 | accessdate = | doi = 10.1038/443407a]

References

External links

* [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog81-87/index.html Platnick, N.I. 2003. World Spider Catalog]
* Photos of 15 [http://www.spidy.goliathus.com/english/tarantula.php?species=Aphonopelma Aphonopelma] species in [http://www.spidy.goliathus.com/english/gallery-tarantulas.php tarantulas] gallery.