Aphonopelma smithi
| Aphonopelma smithi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A. smithi on Mt. Diablo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Subfamily: | Theraphosinae |
| Genus: | Aphonopelma |
| Species: | A. smithi |
| Binomial name | |
| Aphonopelma smithi Smith, 1995[1] | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Aphonopelma smithi, also known as the Bay Area Blond tarantula, is regarded by some sources as an endemic spider to Northern California, found in California interior chaparral and woodlands habitats,[3] and by other sources as synonymous with Aphonopelma iodius.[2]
The Bay Area Blond tarantula spider lives in an underground burrow lined with silk for most of its life, until it is about 7 years old when it reaches maturity. At this time the males leave the burrow to find mates. Males can be found on Mount Diablo in Contra Costa County, looking for mates, from September to early October. Many people go to Mount Diablo to watch the tarantulas at this time of year.[3]
A 2016 study of Aphonopelma species found in the United States concluded that morphological and molecular analyses failed to distinguish A. smithi (among other species) from A. iodius, and so reduced it to a synonym.[2]
External links
References
- ↑ "World Spider Catalog". World Spider Catalog. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- 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 Smith, A.M. (1995). Tarantula spiders: tarantulas of the U.S.A. and Mexico. London: Dennis Fitzgerald Publishing. ISBN 978-0951093993.