Malaysian earthtiger tarantula
| Malaysian earthtiger tarantula | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Cyriopagopus |
| Species: | C. schioedtei |
| Binomial name | |
| Cyriopagopus schioedtei (Thorell, 1891)[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The Malaysian earthtiger tarantula, scientific name Cyriopagopus schioedtei, is a species of spider in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas), found in Peninsular Malaysia.[1][2]
Description
Cyriopagopus schioedtei is a large and colourful arboreal tarantula from the subfamily Ornithoctoninae. It is a very large spider with a leg span of 22 cm and a carapace length above 3 cm. There is a distinct sexual dimorphism. The male is olive green with faint yellow leg striation. The male has a blunt tibial apophysis and long slender legs. Subadult males can be easily sexed by the epigynal fusillae method, as well as turning greener and greener for each molt until maturity. This is especially easy to see by the ventral colouration as subadult males are green and subadult females are black.[3]
Taxonomy
Cyriopagopus schioedtei was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1891, as Omothymus schioedtei,[1] the type species of his new genus Omothymus. In 1903, Eugène Simon synonymized Omothymus with Cyriopagopus,[4] hence Omothymus schioedtei became Cyropagopus schioedtei.
The relationship between a number of genera of East Asian spiders is unclear as of June 2016. In 2014, Ngamniyom and colleagues found in a phylogenetic study that Cyriopagopus schioedtei nested within three Haplopelma species (H. lividum, H. longipes and H. schmidti).[2] A. M. Smith and M. A. Jacobi in 2015 restored the species to its original name of Omothymus schioedtei, on the grounds that the type species of the genus Cyriopagopus, C. paganus, was not distinct from the genus Haplopelma, unlike C. schioedtei.[5]
Distribution and habitat
The species is found in Malaysia.[1] It lives in primary lowland and foothill monsoon forest in hollow trees many meters up. Adult females are almost entirely found in large mature trees, but younger animals can be found behind loose bark, in rock crevices and in man made structures like bridges and board walks.[3]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Taxon details Cyriopagopus schioedtei (Thorell, 1891)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- 1 2 Ngamniyom, Arin; Manaboon, Manaporn; Panyarachun, Busaba & Showpittapornchai, Udomsri (2014). "Phylogenetic Relationships of Two Earth Tiger Tarantulas, Haplopelma lividum and H. longipes (Araneae, Theraphosidae), within the Infraorder Mygalomorph Using 28S Ribosomal DNA Sequences". International Journal of Zoological Research. 10 (1): 15–19. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- 1 2 "Cyriopagopus schioedtei". Asian Arboreals. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ Simon, E. (1903). "Cyriopagopus". Histoire naturelle des araignées. 2. Paris: Roret. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ Smith, A.M. & Jacobi, A. (2015). "Revision of the genus Phormingochilus (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Ornithoctoninae) with the description of three new species from Sulawesi and Sarawak and notes on the placement of the genera Cyriopagopus, Lampropelma and Omothymus" (PDF). Journal of the British Tarantula Society. 30 (3): 26–48. Retrieved 1 June 2016.