Aphonopelma is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of tarantula

Tarantula

Tarantulas comprise a group of often hairy and often very large arachnids belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Some members of the same Suborder may also be called "tarantulas" in the common parlance. This article will restrict itself to...

s, members of which are native to the Americas

Americas

The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...

. It includes nearly all of the North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n tarantulas north of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 and a considerable part of the tarantulas which range into Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

. Only a few species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are described from South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

. 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

New World

The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...

 tarantulas, they have urticating hair

Urticating hair

Urticating hairs, i.e. stinging hairs, are one of the primary defense mechanisms used by numerous plants, some New World tarantulas, and various lepidopteran caterpillars. Urtica is Latin for "nettle", and hairs that urticate are characteristic of this type of plant, and many other plants in...

s. Most are docile in captivity. The taxonomy

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...

 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 cricket

Cricket (insect)

Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...

s, in the wild they will eat most smaller insects.

The type species is Aphonopelma seemanni

Aphonopelma seemanni

The Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, also known as the Striped-knee Tarantula , inhabits most of western Costa Rica, as well as other parts of Central America, such as Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It is black with white stripes near the joint. Specimens from Nicaragua are tan-coloured.Zebra...

or Zebra Tarantula (F. O. P.-Cambridge

Frederick Octavius Pickard-Cambridge

Frederick Octavius Pickard-Cambridge was an English arachnologist. He is often confused with his uncle, Octavius Pickard-Cambridge , who was also an arachnologist and from whom F. O. Pickard-Cambridge picked up his enthusiasm for the study of spiders.-Life:F. O. Pickard-Cambridge was born in...

, 1897), which has striped legs. This species produces silk

Spider silk

Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...

 from spinnerets on the feet as well as in the abdomen.

External links

• Platnick, N.I. 2003. World Spider Catalog
• Photos of 15 Aphonopelma species in tarantulas gallery.