Eight-Species

Overview of Species Information for All Named Theraphosidae Divided by Subfamily      This list is for better understanding the similarities, differences, and distribution of a broad range of tarantulas. It is by no means complete in terms of information provided.
     The main aim is to foster ecological awareness via exploring systematic relationships. Bear in mind, the taxonomy of Theraphosidae can become a complicated thing as new species are discovered, different relationships among tarantulas are studied, and the simple fact that there are so many variations known and waiting to be known. Only one thing is an absolute as of this date concerning theraphosids: the words always, all, and never seldom apply! In consideration of such, my approach will be casual; likewise, some taxonomic perspectives may not be present here (e.g., works published in non-peer-reviewed journals, etc. will be taken with the proverbial grain of salt and feature an asterisk, if listed at all).
     With concern toward tarantulas kept as pets, the species in green are often easily kept by people who have some common sense, those in yellow could be difficult due to temperament or housing needs, and those in red could easily pose problems due to unique needs, rarity, or typical temperament. If the species is in gray or only genus is listed, it's likely uncommon in the US pet trade and I really don't have a clue about it.
      I certainly did not just wake up one morning and have all this info- it came from helpful sharing from the tarantula-keeping community (thanks Mikhail Bagaturov, Robert Breene, G.B. Edwards, Richard Gallon, Martin Huber, Stan Schultz, Rick C. West, and Volker von Wirth!) and I must absolutely cite The World Spider Catalog by Norman I. Platnick as a primary source.
The Lucky 13 Subfamilies (click n' go):


Acanthopelminae	Aviculariinae	Eumenophorinae	Harpactirinae
Ischnocolinae	Ornithoctoninae	Poecilotheriinae*	Selenocosmiinae
Selenogyrinae	Spelopeminae*	Stromatopelminae	Theraphosinae
	Thrigmopoeinae

A Simplified Listing of Just Subfamilies and their Genera is Located Here.

Subfamily: Acanthopelminae
South and Central American terrestrial tarantulas.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' Ends
Acanthopelma	beccarii rufescens	None	Not common in the pet trade. . This used to be the home of A. annae, which was the smallest known tarantula (full-grown adults that are about the size of a fingernail), but subsequent study by arachnologists placed it in its own genus under the Barychelidae family. A. rufescens, native to Guatemala and Costa Rica, is a small, brownish/purple tarantula with light orange patterning on the abdomen.

Subfamily: Aviculariinae
Avicularia means "small bird" in Latin due to an early misconception about a tarantula's preferred diet, but it may as well mean "flat-footed-spider-with-something-odd-about-its-urticating-hair" due to the characteristics of some members of this subfamily.
For example, take the members of the Avicularia genus: They are tropical arboreal spiders common from the Caribbean to South America and many are commonly sold as "pinktoes," no matter what species they are. Some, such as Avicularia avicularia, can tolerate each other in a group setting if given enough space, but will kill each other on occasion if there's not enough room or food. They're fairly docile, but can move quickly if need be. What's really special about most of them and the genera Iridopelma and Pachistopelma is that not only are they the only arboreals with urticating hair, they can't "flick" the hair to make it float off into the air. The type of urticating bristles they possess (Type II) must be pressed into its intended target (A. versicolor may differ).
Also included are the bizzarre Ephebopus tarantulas. They have flattened "feet" like arboreal spiders, yet prefer to dig burrows. Those "platypus" tarantulas are the only known genus with urticating hair on their pedipalps.
Some taxonomists include members of the genera Psalmopoeus and Tapinauchenius, which have no urticating hair, in this subfamily; along with some members of Holothele, they are some of the few New World tarantulas that lack that trait.

What's really confusing is that many of the described species of the Avicularia genus are probably invalid. There are descriptions based on cast exoskeletons acquired from a "friend of a friend," descriptions of only one gender, descriptions without locality data (except to say they came from a friend's pet collection- in some cases, that's where the species name is derived), descriptions with no examinations of other holotypes in the genus, etc. Unfortunately, systematics for theraphosids isn't a scrutinized, regulated thing. Snippets from a fanzine-style journal published without peer review is enough to get a "species" listed in the World Spider Catalog. This is fun, exciting, and sometimes profitable for pet traders, but quite unfortunate for those wishing to understand faunal relationships and environmental impacts within ecosystems. Questionable species are marked with an asterisk.

Note: For the genus Psalmopoeus, see here.
Note: For the genus Tapinauchnius, see here.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Avicularia	affinis, alticeps, ancylochira, anthracina	None	The brownish A. ancylochira may be found along the Tapajoz river, living in in the bark of trees high above flooded swampland (Charpentier 1992). There is little about A. anthracina that would place it in this genus. Koch's drawing displays a terrestrially-oriented spider that is overall dark brown with pale spinnerets. A. affinis ranges as far south as Chile. However, Nicolet's description and drawing reveal nothing like other members of Avicularia. It may be more correctly placed in a different genus (Nicolet describes it as quite similar to P. scrofa). Its placement in the World Spider Catalog is perhaps simply a typo that originated with mass-movement of species in the genera "Mygale".
Avicularia	aurantiaca*	Orange banded pinktoe, Yellow banded pinktoe, Brazillian pinktoe, etc.	These Peruvians are not one of the more colorful avics. They have an overall brownish coloring and are very similar in many respects to A. juruensis and may be the same species.
Avicularia	avicularia; avicularia variegata	Pinktoe, Guyana Pinktoe	Arboreal tarantulas that need humidity and good ventilation; formerly "banned" in Florida due to the similarity of their natural habitat to that state's environment, but that law has been repealed. These were the first tarantulas recorded by western science (described by Linnaeus in 1758). Though most are collected in Guyana, they are a wide ranging species that lives in a broad portion of northern South America and has also been found on Trinidad. A. avicularia variegata, in its most extreme form, has gray/whitish tips on the longer hairs, and entirely lacks the reddish setae on the rear legs, though it retains some orangish tint on the abdomen. F.O.P. Cambridge hypothesized that perhaps the variant may evolve into another species. Sometimes A. avicularia variegata are sold as Avicularia metallica in the pet trade, so striking is the difference in the most extreme specimens. Further information is located here.
Avicularia	aymara, azuraklaasi*	None	South to Central American. A. azuraklaasi may not be a valid species. Marc Tesmoingt wrote a description of A. azuraklaasi based on two molted exoskeletons supplied to him via Andre Braunshausen from specimens that supposedly originated from Peter Klaas; Tesmoignt claimed they came from Peru. Who collected them and exactly where they did so is a mystery. Both were female. Even by European "arthropod fanzine" standards, the description is exceptionally unscientific in quality. Unfortunately, all published descriptions stand in Platnick's catalog, so here it is (for now) on this list and many others.
Avicularia	bicegoi	Brick Red Birdeater	A gorgeous pinktoe from Brazil (sometimes found on dealer websites as being from Martinique) with a red rump and greenish carapace.
Avicularia	borelli*	None	Hails from Paraguay, near Colonia Risso. Simon's description is very brief; nothing is mentioned that would place it in this genus.
Avicularia	braunshauseni*	Goliath Pinktoe	These S. Americans are very similar to A. avicularia in coloration, physical attributes, and habitat, but supposedly attain a larger size. Specimens in the pet trade also seem to have longer and denser red setae on legs IV. Some doubt that it is actually an entirely different species from A. avicularia. It was described by Tesmoingt in 1999 as a "large, docile spider from the 'island' (sic) of Santana that feeds primarily on roaches". HJ Peters redescribed it in 2000 along with the dubious species of A. geroldi and A. ulrichea.
Avicularia	*caesia,cuminami, detrita, diversipes, doleschalli, exilis, fasciculata* clara*	None	A. detrita and A. diversipes, like several others in this genus, do not have pink "toes". A. caesia is likely the same animal as A. laeta. A. cuminami and A. doleschalli were also described from juveniles by Mello-Leitao and Ausserer, respectively. Furthermore, Keyserling makes reference to A. doleschalli in his description of Cyclosternum janierum (both were at the time Ishnocolus). It's possible that A. doleschalli got caught in the "mass movement" like A. affinis. In addition, some scientists feel that Strand's descriptions of A. exilis, A. fasciculata, and A. fasciculata clara are greatly lacking in detail, including locality data, and therefore shouldn't be considered valid. (Charpentier 1992).
Avicularia	geroldi*	Brazilian Blue and Red Pinktoe	Pretty and pricey (for possibly exploitive reasons) South American arboreals. Very similar to A. avicularia and many suspect that they're the same species. This one was also loosely described by Tesmoingt in 1999 and named after Andre Braunshausen's grandfather. The obvious comparison to traits of A. avicularia-complex species are ignored in the paper, and a distinction is made on the basis of a minute "dog's head" shape of one of the spermathecae- a highly variable feature.
Avicularia	*glauca, gracilis,* guyana, hirsuta* holmbergi	None	Central and South American; A. glauca was described from a juvenile by Simon. Cambridge's entire entry is as follows:"The type specimen, kindly submitted to me for examination by M. Simon, is evidently an immature example, and it will always be difficult to decide exactly as to which particular species of Avicularia it belongs," (Cambridge 42). That sentiment could likely go for a good many species in the genus, including A. gracilis. Keyserling's specimen was very small (possibly a juvenile, but he asserts that it is female), and very worn. The colors had faded to yellowish-brown, and the abdomen was completely bald. There is nothing in the description that would lead one to believe that it belongs in Avicularia. It's likely a "typo" from the big "Eurypelma move". A. hirsuta does not belong in this genus. Simon accidentally synonomized Iridopelma hirsutum (from Pernambuco, Brazil) into this genus. That mistake was cleared up, but the actual spider described by Ausserer is a terrestrial from Cuba and the Bahamas (Petrunkevitch asserts that it is likely a "Lasiodora or Eurypelma"). It is clearly not an Avicularia, nor an Iridopelma.
Avicularia	huriana	Ecuadorian Wooly, Ecuadorian Pinktoe	Large (in fact, by far the largest Avicularia species in girth and span I've ever seen. Supposed "A. metallica" and "A. branshauseni" specimens are not excepted), bushy arboreals.
Avicularia	juruensis	Brazilian Yellowbanded	These have a yellow ring before the pink toe, and get their name from the Jurua river in Brazil. This may be the same spider as A. aurantiaca; A. juruensis would be the name that takes priority.
Avicularia	laeta, leporina	None	A. laeta has a light golden color overall as an adult. As youngsters, they are bluish, like A. versicolor. They are a wide ranging species in Puerto Rico, from Isla Culebra to the west coast. It is not uncommon in the Virgin Islands, and some say it exists in S. America as well. A. caesia is likely the same thing as A. laeta. A. leporina is similar in appearance to A. avicularia, but does not posses pink "toes".
Avicularia	metallica*	Metallic Pinktoe, Whitetoe	Arboreal tarantulas from the same range as A. avicularia; in fact, they are very similar to A. avicularia overall and some suspect they may not only hybridize in the wild, but be variations of the same species. Charpentier (1992) reports regular "hybridization" between supposed A. metallica and A. avicularia with fertile offspring in captivity. Ausserer's original description makes no mention of reddish setae; instead, he speaks of brownish hairs tipped in white (particularly noticable about the femora), giving the spider's legs a "magnificently, metallically shining coloring." The only non-coloration differences Ausserer mentions to distinguish it from A. avicularia (he actually references A. vestaria) is that the tibia of legs IV are slightly longer and the tubercle is a bit more curved and slightly less wide.
Avicularia	minatrix	Venezuelan Redslate	These brownish avics tend to retain the black and red patterning on their abdomens as adults. They are from a drier region than most pinktoes (northern Venezuela, near hilly, semiarid Duaca) and don't attain a very large size.
Avicularia	*nigrotaeniata,obscura, ochracea* palmicola, panamensis* parva, plantaris, pulchra	None	Wide range. A.nigrotaeniata are likely to be the same thing as A. avicularia. A. ochracea is from Rio Negro, Brazil. It is quite "hairy". Koch's description and drawing of A. plantaris does little to distinguish between it and A. avicularia. A. panamensis is probably a terrestrial member of Theraphosinae - there is nothing in its description that alludes to traits of Avicularia. Ausserer's type for A. obscura was a juvenile of indeterminate genus. Pocock hypothesized that the Columbian spider may be a Hapalopus. Unfortunately, the specimens Mello-Leitao used to describe A. pulchra were juveniles. Same with A. parva. Both are likely invalid species (Petrunkevitch described the type of A. parva as too small to make a detemrination of genus, but is probably terrestrial).
Avicularia	purpurea	Ecuadorian Pinktoe, Ecuadorian Purple	These have a purplish hue under the right light. They are from Ecuador and are as adaptable to mankind's presence as its eastern cousin, A. avicularia.
Avicularia	rapax, recifiensis, rufa rutilans, soratae subvulpina* *surinamensis, taunayi** tigrina, ulrichea	None	South American. A. recifiensis was newly described by Struchen and Brandle in 1996. A. subvulpina and A. surinamensis were described by Strand in 1906 and 1907, respectively. However, he didn't inlcude much data in his descriptions. A. tigrina, of Montevideo, is erroneously placed in this genus. It's likely terrestrial. Some think A. ulrichea is a variant of A. urticans. It was loosely described in the flurry of papers by Tesmoingt in 1996. A. soratae gets its moniker from its locality in Bolivia.
Avicularia	urticans	Peruvian Pinktoe	Recently described by Schmidt in 1994. Most specimens have a more drab carapace and the long setae of legs IV are not as vibrant as some other Avicularia.
Avicularia	velutina*	None	Described from specimens collected in San Esteban, Venezuela; however, some were also collected on the island of Trinidad. Many suspect that A. velutina is actually the same as A. avicularia.
Avicularia	versicolor	Antilles Pinktoe	Another colorful beauty that commands a high price. They have greenish carapaces and pinkish/purple colored hairs on their fuzzy legs and abdomens. The tibial apohpyses are simply rows of spikes rather than pronounced spurs. They are from Martinique, Guadelupe, and other adjacent islands. Some (both in the European scientific community and locals of the island) have asserted that they enjoy a diet consisting of a fair portion of small treefrogs in the wild. The assumption is that this diet causes them to be more skittish and possibly more defensive with the fangs than some other Avicularia species. I have observed the prediliction for tree frogs, but not any marked defensiveness. Furthermore, some have seen them making a kicking motion to discharge urticating bristles (Bertani 1996). I haven't seen this either, but don't doubt it.
Avicularia	*violacea, walckenaeri**	None	Brazil. A. violacea was described as Ephebopus from a juvenile by Mello-Leitão; it's clearly an Avicularia, but which one? A. walckenaeri is an incredibly hirsute spider with pinks "toes", similar to A. huriana.
Ephebopus	cyanognathus	None (Tentatively called French Guiana Blue Fang in the pet trade)	Gorgeous! They have purplish legs and opisthosomas, blue chelicera that are stunning, and yellow to orangish bands at the leg joints. They were described by Rick West in 2000. They are becoming fairly regularly bred in captivity.
Ephebopus	murinus, rufescans	Skeleton Tarantula (just Ephebopus murinus) Burgundy Skeleton (E. rufescans)	It is odd that a terrestrial tarantula has been placed in the subfamily Aviculariinae, but that's where it resides. These "bulldoggish" spiders are rarely arboreal (though sometimes found in trees, in root structure near the ground); they prefer to burrow and have their urticating hairs on their pedipalps (a type of urticating bristles that can be airborne. The other members of this subfamily that possess urticating bristles only have Type II, which must be pressed into an assailant on contact). Supposedly, they're somewhat defensive (one of mine, however, is a doll). Their reputed temperament and rarity place them in the yellow category. Further information and photos of E. murinus are located here.
Ephebopus	uatuman, fossor*	None (Sometimes E. uatuman are marketed as "Emerald Skeleton")	E. uatuman has yellow bands at the "knee" joints", lacks the striping of E. murinus and E. rufescans, and their carapaces and abdomens have a greenish tint; overall, they're a tawny orange color when approaching a molt and a drab olive after molting. There is a shiny blue-violet tint on the ventral surface of legs I. Males are reddish-orange overall at maturity. More information and photos are located here. The type specimens for E. fossor (collected near Rio Sapayo, Ecuador) were lost many years ago and it's possible that Pocock was describing an entirely different species. Those selling so-called "E. fossor" are actually selling Ephebopus "whoknowswhatus" (and usually come from nowhere near Ecuador).
Iridoplema	hirsutum	Yellow Lined Treespider	Fuzzy, tawny colored arboreals that are very similar to members of the Avicularia genus. They have Type II urticating bristles, and the males have spurs on legs I and II. Contrary to some websites, it has nothing to do with the "Ischnocolus hirsutus" described by Ausserer in 1875. The spider that is now known (erroneously) as Avicularia hirsuta is a terrestrial from the Caribbean.
Iridoplema	seladonium	None	From Brazil. According to Koch's drawing, this spider is a real stunner. It has a green carapace, orange femora, bluish tibia and tarsi, blue chelicerae. . .essentially, a tree-dwelling C. cyaneopubescens.
Iridoplema	zorodes	Brazilian Purple	Kept like most members of Avicularia. What was in the pet trade in the late 1990's as I. zorodes resembled I. hirsutum more than anything "purple".
Pachistopelma	concolor, rufonigrum	None	From Guyana and Brazil (Iguarassu), respectively. They have Type II urticating bristles, and quite limited ranges.

Subfamily: Eumenophorinae
These are the big African "baboon" spiders. They are normally very defensive and most like to dig deep burrows. The majority of the members of this subfamily require a good amount of humidity.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Anoploscelus	celeripes, lesserti	None	Central African and rare
Batesiella	crinita	None	Cameroon
Citharischius	crawshayi	King Baboon	Large burrowing spiders with beautiful rust-colored, velvety "fur" that are easily distinguished from Hysterocrates spp. by their very thick rear legs. These are native to East-Central Africa and the females may get up to 7 or 8" in legspan. Their defensiveness and size can make them difficult to keep in captivity (though they do have lots of young). Supposedly, they are extremely difficult to breed. Those issues and their high cost and slow growth rate put them in the red category. In addition, this species prefers a drier climate than most members of this subfamily.
Citharischius	stridulantissimus	None	I'll bet it's a loud one! Seriously, it hasn't been redescribed or reviewed since 1907, and may or may not exist.
Encyocrates	raffrayi	None	Madagascar
Eumenophorus	clementsi, murphyorum	Sierra Leone Mouse Brown and Greater Sierra Leone Mouse Brown, respectively	Sierra Leone
Hysterocrates	affinis, angusticeps apostolicus	None (H. apostolicus is sometimes called "cricket-legged baboon" in the pet trade)	Like all the Hysterocrates species, these are deep burrowers that need plenty of substrate. They also enjoy high humidity.
Hysterocrates	crassipes	Cameroon Brown	Obviously from Cameroon. Unfortunately, many of the original descriptions of this genus aren't detailed, and west-central Africa's political climate doesn't afford much opportunity for obtaining further data currently. Therefore, the species names attached to Hysterocrates spp. in the pet trade is somewhat subjective. What circulates in the pet trade as H. crassipes currently has "football" shaped swelling of the tibia, even as an adult. They were often sold as H. gigas in the late 1990's (in fact, my female H. crassipes was obtained when I accepted a supposed penultimate male H. gigas on breed loan from a US dealer).
Hysterocrates	didymus, ederi	H. didymus is called an Olive Brown Baboon and H. ederi is sometimes called the Guinea Goliath	From Sao Tome and Equatorial Guinea (Bioko Island), respectively. Some say Hysterocrates ederi can swim! I haven't seen mine try, but don't doubt it as it thrives in a fairly moist environment.
Hysterocrates	gigas	Cameroon Red, Cameroon Tawny Red, Cameroon Rusted	Hysterocrates gigas is particularly common in the pet trade. They breed easily and members of Hysterocrates species actually care for their young for a bit, rather than leaving them to disperse immediately. More information and photos of this species are located here.
Hysterocrates	greeffi, greshoffi, haasi	None	Central Africans
Hysterocrates	hercules*	Hercules Baboon, African Goliath	H. hercules is more often seen in the rainforests of Nigeria, near the Niger river. It is also shy and aggressively sought out by collectors. The difference between H. gigas and H. hercules is subtle and therefore the two are often confused in the pet trade. In fact, it could be likely that H. hercules is simply a varient of H. gigas.
Hysterocrates	laticeps,maximus , ochraceus robustus, robustus sulcifer, scepticus,sjostedti, spellenbergi . vosseleri, weileri	None, but H. laticeps is sometimes sold as Cameroon Rustred (not to be confused with H. gigas) and H. scepticus is sometimes marketed as "Sao Tome Giant" or "Sao Tome Giant Olive Brown Baboon".	Hysterocrates scepticus may or may not be in the pet trade. What some importers called H. ederi in 1998-9 has been called H. scepticus in 2003-2004. It's another island species, like H. ederi.
Loxomphalia	rubida	None	Zanzibar
Loxoptygus	coturnatus ectypus erlangeri	None	Ethiopian
Mascarenus	remotus	None	Found on the Mascarene Islands, Mauritius. Apparently, it has no stridulating organ, unlike all the other members of this subfamily.
Monocentropus	balfouri, lambertoni, longimanus	None	Socotra, Madagascar, and Yemen, respectively. M. lambertoni is named after Col. Lamberton, an explorer of Madagascar.
Myostola	occidentalis	None	Central Africa
Phoneyusa	antilope, belandana, bettoni, bidentata, bidentata ituriensis, bouvieri, buettneri celerierae, chevalieri cultridens, efuliensis elephantiasis, gabonica giltayi, gracilipes gregori, lesserti	None	Central to Southern Africa. P. bouvieri actually lives in Madagascar, in "Tana", the hilly region around Antananrivo. It's a central highland area with humid earth and mild temperatures.
Phoneyusa	manicata	Olive-black Baboon	Defensive, burrowing, and from Principe. It is not as available in the pet trade as it was in the 1990's. I don't know if anyone bred them in captivity.
Phoneyusa	minima mutica, nigroventris principium, rufa, rutilata, sp. westi	None (Phoneyusa sp. was sold in the pet trade as "Wannabehercules")	"Wannabehercules" is similar to H. hercules, but grows smaller and doesn't have stocky rear legs.

Subfamily: Harpactirinae
These are also African "baboon" spiders. Though smaller, they have unique habits and are still very defensive on the whole; species of Pterinochilus will rear up upon the slightest disturbance. Some members of this subfamily will often stridulate. Most are burrowers of dry scrubland habitat, but members of Pterinochilus sometimes show semi-arboreal tendencies.
In 2002, Richard Gallon made major revisions to this subfamily, including the removal of the genus Brachionopus to another family of mygalomorph spiders entirely.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Augacephalus	breyeri, junodi	None	Southern Africa. A. breyeri is a former Pterinochilus species. What is now A. junodi was Coelogenium nigrifemur and Pterinochilus junodi (a description for C. nigrifemur was made using a shed skin that lacked key details. C. nigrifemur turned out to actually be P. junodi) (Gallon 19). Augacephalus is a new genus created for both species in 2002 by Richard Gallon.
Ceratogyrus	bechuanicus	Curvedhorn	These burrowers have an odd protrusion on their carapace that gives them their common names. However, not all members of this genus have the "horn"; an actual distinguishing visible trait is a pale band on the ventral side of the opisthosoma (however, see notes under C. paulseni). A. junodi is the only other species in this subfamily with that marking (Gallon 3). In any case, the "horn" of this species happens to be rearward facing and slightly curved. Like most African species, they're quite defensive. The young are very voracious feeders.
Ceratogyrus	brachycephalus	Greaterhorned Baboon	A lot of people like to call this tarantula "Rhino Horned Baboon". It's a hearty eater with a forward facing "horn". Several variations exist, with some having a quite pronounced protuberance and others with only a slight plug reminiscent of C. sanderi. More information and photos are located here.
Ceratogyrus	darlingi	Horned Tarantula	Tarantulas with a rearward facing horn.
Ceratogyrus	dolichocephalus	None	Tarantulas of southeast Africa. No "horn", just an extension of the caput. It's not in the pet trade.
Ceratogyrus	ezendami	None	A species newly described by Richard Gallon in 2001. It has no "horn".
Ceratogyrus	hillyardi	None	A former member of the Coelogenium genus.
Ceratogyrus	marshalli	Straighthorned Baboon, Unicorn Baboon	As its name suggests, this tarantula's horn grows vertically and it's probably the most spectacular "horned" species, as some of their spires may reach nearly an inch in height. It was formerly known as C. cornuatus until 2001. More information and photos are located here.
Ceratogyrus	meridionalis	None	A former member of the Pterincohilus genus. It has no horn.
Ceratogyrus	pillansi	None	A former member of the Coelogenium genus. No "horn".
Ceratogyrus	paulseni	None	This spider has no "horn", and nor does it have the ventral band common in Ceratogyrus. The male has not yet been described; when it is, it may be concluded that this is actually an Augacephalus species.
Ceratogyrus	sanderi	None	These have more of a "plug" than a horn.
Eucratoscelus	constrictus	None	According to Richard Gallon's 2002 revision of the Eucratosceles and Pterincohilus genera, E. longiceps and Pterinochilus spinifer are now known as E. constrictus. Oddly enough, I have seen both a spider resembling E. pachypus and spiders that appeared to be tiny Pterincochilus species being sold as "P. spinifer from Tanzania" in the Florida pet trade. Sometimes E. pachypus is sold as E. longiceps under the name "Voi Red Rumped Baboon." In any case, E. constrictus is a plain brown tarantula of smallish to average size that prefers a dry habitat that is not nearly as stout in legs IV as E. pachypus (i.e., almost all the photos I've seen from dealers claiming to sell E. longiceps are actually E. pachypus).
Eucratoscelus	pachypus	E. pachypus is usually called Tanzanian Stoutleg Baboon. Often times, E. pachypus is mistakenly sold as E. longiceps as "Voi Red Rumped Baboon" by some dealers.	Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya. These have greatly thickened rear legs. E. pachypus is a small tarantula, with adults about 4" in legspan. They prefer a drier climate. R. Gallon published the first description of male E. pachypus in 2002. More information and photos of this species are located here.
Harpactira	atra,baviana, cafreriana chrysogaster, curator,curvipes,dictator,gigas guttata, hamiltoni, lineata lyrata,marksi namaquensis, pulchripes tigrina	Generally, a location name followed by "baboon spider", such as: Cape Pigmy Baboon Spider (H. atra) or Hanover Olive Baboon Spider (H. baviana).	These southern Africans resemble "bushy" Pterinochilus species. Most are only found in South Africa, but H. namaquensisis also found in Namibia. Dr. Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman, who is doing biodiversity surveys of South Africa, also reports a Harpactira species in Zimbabwe. Despite some unsubstantiated rumors, there has never been a death as a direct result of a Harpactira bite (nor the bite of any other Theraphosidae). However, their bite is apparently painful, and may induce nausea in some individuals (Schoeman 2002).
Harpactirella	domicola,flavipilosa helenae, insidiosa . karrooica,lapidaria lightfooti,longipes, magna, schwarzi spinosa,treleaveni	None	Small Africans that range across the continent, with most being southern. H. insidiosa, however, is endemic to southern Morocco, and H. latithorax lives in tropical west Africa.
Idiothele	nigrofulva	None	This wide-ranging southern African species used to be called Pterinochilus crassispinus until this genus was reintroduced by Gallon in 2002.
Pterinochilus	alluaudi, chordatus, leetzi* lugardi	Dodoma baboon, Ft. Hall, various contrivances of "starburst" and "sunburst," etc., sometimes with a town name and a color generality thrown in for good measure (i.e., "Mombassa starburst" or "Kilimanjaro Mustard"). Second to the petshop name games that include the words "tiger" or "birdeater" in a tarantula's name, this genus probably has the most temporary and variable "common" names.	They're from east-central Africa (primarily Tanzania and Kenya), are generally smaller than the average tarantula, and many individuals can be quite defensive. They range in color from charcoal gray to golden tawny brown. They're fast and sometimes they like to burrow and other times a formerly burrowing individual will desire to live in a tree! They grow fast and are easy to breed and care for, yet their speed and prediliction for snippitiness puts them in the yellow category. They're not in the red category because, well, they're just so easy to keep and control. Note: P. affinis, P. brunellii, P. carnivorus, P. raptor, P. sjostedti, P. widenmanni, and Coelogenium raveni were found to be the the same animal as Pterinochilus chordatus by Richard Gallon in 2002. P. leetzi may simply be another "species du jour" , loosley described by Schmidt in a non-peer reviewed publication using pet-trade material. Until a description with clear collection locale and comparisons to known Pterincohilus occurs in a peer-reviewed journal and type specimens are deposited for review. . .it is a non-species as far as eight is concerned.
Pterinochilus	murinus	Golden starburst, Mombassa golden starburst, Usambara, Usambara orange, Usambara Red, True starburst, etc. so forth, and so on.	See above. The species commonly sold as "sp" or P. mammillatus that is a shade of orange is just a color variation of P. murinus. Likewise, P. hindei is the same thing as P. murinus. They range in color from dark gray to tan, and some are quite yellowish, and even reddish-orange. It has also been reputed that the orange ones are more arboreal than the yellow ones, (and sometimes the redder ones) and I have observed many of the orange "usambaras" having equal prediliction for both climbing and burrowing. However, it is probably just pet trade "lore" that distinguishes betwixt the color variations as being separate and distinct in habits. Further information, mating and spiderling data, photos, etc., may be found here.
Pterinochilus	simoni	Starburst baboon, Sunburst baboon, etc.	See above. These spiders are inhabitants of the Congo, and not likely collected.
PterinochilusPhlogiellus	vorax	None, or variations of above	Tanzanian, but not likely collected. Sometimes varying color forms of P. murinus or P. chordatus are sold as P. vorax.
Trichognathella	schoenlandi	None	These South Africans were formerly known as Pterinochilus shoenlandi until Richard Gallon's 2002 revision established the Trichognathella genus. Gallon also published the first description of the female of this species.

Subfamily: Ischnocolinae
This is the most widely dispersed subfamily of theraphosidae. Some species are native to the Middle East, some to Asia, others to Southern Europe, and still more to the Americas. For now, notice the global distribution of eighty separate species (there's one near you!) of which the habits are little understood. Also, what is the relationship of all the members of such a widespread subfamily?! What is/are the determining factor(s)? Why do so many species move in and out of here on a yearly basis?
Clearly, this subfamily is a testament to how little we know about tarantulas.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Catumiri	argentinense, chicaoi, petropolium, uruguayense	None	C. argentinense used to be a member of Oligoxystre genus. The middle two are from Brazil, and the latter is, as the species name states, from Uruguay.
Chaetopelma	adenense,anatolicum, arabicum, gardineri, gracile, karlamani, olivaceum, shabati, strandi	None	Ranges from the Middle East to Eastern Africa, Cyprus, Seychelles. Not common in the pet trade (though C. gracile is sold in Europe)
Cratorrhagus	concolor, tetramerus	None	Native to Syria
Hemiercus	cervinus, inflatus, kastoni modestus, proximus	None	These are native to Central and South America. H. cervinus may be found near San Esteban, Venezuela. H. inflatus was dicovered near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. H. modestus was found in the Valley of Naricual, Columbia.
Heterothele	*affinis, atrophac, caudicula darcheni, decemnotata, gabonensis, honesta hullwilliamsi, ogbunikia spinipes**	None	Central African genus, yetH. caudicula was described from a specimen found in Patagonia, Argentina.
Heterothele	villosella	Tanzanian Chestnut	Small, defensive Africans
Holothele	anomala, colonica, culebrae, denticulata	None	I am surprised that these are not common in the pet trade. They range from Brazil to Cuba.
Holothele	incei	Trinidad Olive	These golden tarantulas are reputed to have short periods between mating and actual egg laying.
Holothele	longipes, ludwigi recta, rondoni, sanguiniceps, sericea shoemakeri, steini	None	South American and Caribbean. H. sericea is found near Puerto Plata, Haiti. H. shoemakeri can be found in the Virgin Islands.
Holothele	sulferensis	None	From near volcanic sulfer mines on Guadeloupe. It seeks opportunistic shelter, and was recently described in 2005.
Holothele	vellardi	None	The name of this Venezuelan is an homage to Dr. Vellard.
Ischnocolus	algericus, andalusiacus decoratus, fasciculatus fuscostriatus, hancocki holosericeus, jerusalemensis, jickelii, khasiensis, maroccanus mogadorensis, numidus rubropilosus, syriacus tomentosus, triangulifer tripolitanus, tunetanus valentinus	None	These are from Isreal to West Africa, Southern Spain (I. andalusiacus, I. holosericeus, and I. valentinus), Italy (I. triangulifer), and south to the Congo
Nesiergus	halophilus,insulanus	None	Indigenous to the lovely Seychelles Islands
Oligoxystre	auratum, mimeticum	None	From Uruguay and Brazil. These are the only New World Theraphosidae known to spin a fixed eggsac.
Plesiophrictus	bhori, blatteri, collinus fabrei, guangxiensis, linteatus madraspatanus, mahabaleshwari, meghalayaensis. millardi, milleti, raja satarensis, senffti sericeus, tenuipes	None	Most are from India, Sri Lanka, and Micronesia P. guangxiensis is a plain brown spider from China and was described in 2000 by Yin and Tan.
Pseudoligoxystre	bolivianus	None	A species described by Fabian Vol in 2001.
Sickius	longibulbi	None	This spider's genus was revitalized by Rogerio Bertani in 2002. It used to be called Hapalotremus longibulbi. Apparently, the black and reddish Brazilian is one of only two known theraphosids that have no spermathecae. The male's sperm, transferred via the normal method of palpal bulbs, is stored in the uterus externus, like spiders even more primitive than tarantulas.

Genus: Proshapalopus
I've put this in its own genus category separate from the Ischnocolinae table due to the fact that I think I'll end up moving it soon. It seems that the subfamily Ischnocolonae continues to be a foster home in systematics. Cyclosternum used to be in this subfamily, as did Thrixopelma and a host of others. Recently (as of 2001), spiders have been reclassified out of Theraphosinae (Pamphobeteus in specific) into this one. However, this genus was listed as being in synonymy with Holothele by Raven in 1985 and that synonymy was recognized by Platnick, but recent efforts by other arachnologists has changed that. It seems there is little agreement in taxonomyland, and that is to be expected- classifiying such a mysterious animal must be difficult.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Proshapalopus	amazonicus	None	Formerly known as Pamphobeteus anomalus
Proshapalopus	anomalus*	None	The first of this genus that was described; may be synonymous with Holothele anomala
Proshapalopus	multicuspidatus	None	Used to be part of the Phormictopus genus, then it was a Cyclosternum. It resides here. . . for now.

Subfamily: Ornithoctoninae
These are tarantulas revered for their colorations and defensiveness. Most are native to southeastern Asia, enjoy high humidity, and have a striped pattern on the opisthosoma.
Most are of quite similar external appearance and some species may be removed sooner than later (and plenty more new discoveries added) by Volker von Wirth once he completes his research on this subfamily.


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Citharognathus	hosei, tongmianensis	None	Borneo and China, respectively.
Cyriopagopus	dromeus	None	From the Philippines. There's no dividing line in their metatarsal scopulae and they're a reddish/chestnut color overall.
Cyriopagopus	paganus*	Asian Chevron	Spiders sold in the pet trade under this moniker are not C. paganus. They're generally brownish/ash gray with a somewhat mottled tiger stripe pattern on the abdomen. More information and photos are located here. Odds are, the majority are a Haplopelma sp. (temporarily called "longipedum" or "Vietnam"). What's being sold resembles none of the other known Cyriopagopus in habits in terms of their prediliction for climbing, not burrowing. The type for C. paganus is missing and has been missing since the 1940's. The type of the real C. paganus was found near Dawaei (aka Tavoy), in what is now Tanintharyi state, Myanmar. Volker von Wirth of Germany is revising this subfamily and hopes to work out such quandries.
Cyriopagopus	schioedtei	Malaysian Giant Earth Tiger	Beautiful tropical arboreals. They have a greenish-yellow carapace and the abdomen striping common to this subfamily on a pale background. To my knowledge, most captive breeding attempts have resulted in failure and they therefore could become very rare in the wild. However, captive breeding efforts have recently been seeing more success and 4 eggsacs have hatched in the U.S. as of 2002. These spiders are sometimes mistakenly sold as C. thorelli.
Cyriopagopus	thorelli	None	See notes under C. schioedtei
Haplopelma	albostriatum	Thai zebra (not to be confused with A.seemani), Thai tiger, Tigerrump (not to be confused with C. fasciatum), Thai Black (not to be confused with H. minax)	Burrowing spiders that have a brown carapace, slight striping on the legs, an attitude, and a pet trade naming problem!
Haplopelma	sp. ("aureopilosum" "longipedum", and others)	Many variations on the word "tiger" and a seemingly random region or color	Like most others in this subfamily, these southeast Asians have a chevron pattern on their abdomens. Due to difficulty with locating original type specimens and locality data, many Haplopelma species are unidentified and sold under a variety of names. The most common "mystery" introductions to the pet trade are spiders sold as H. minax that aren't, and some sold as C. paganus that may be a Haplopelma species. In addition, some Haplopelma spp. may not be different species, but just color variations. Also see notes under C. paganus
Haplopelma	doriae	None	Come from Borneo
Haplopelma	hainanum	Chinese Black Earth Tiger	Large and black. They are in the "red" category due to the value of their venom. They need to be captive bred!
Haplopelma	huwenum	Variations of the "earth tiger" theme	A golden Chinese spider originally called "Selenocosmia huwena" by Wang, Peng, and Xie in 1993; it was a member of the genus Selenocosmia until 2000, then it became Ornithoctinus huwena. It is very similar to Haplopelma schmidti.
Haplopelma	lividum	Cobalt Blue	Gorgeous as subadults and females. They have metallic blue legs. The mature males are similar to H. albostriatum. They're quite tense and quirky and readily bite. These absolutely need the ability to burrow in captivity, as they are a very secretive species that thrives on privacy. They are one of two known types of Haplopelma that have longer legs IV than legs I (the other is called Haplopelma longipipes for obvious reasons). More information and photos are located here.
Haplopelma	longipes	A wild variety, to include: Thai tiger, Asian Black Birdeater, etc.	This spider was known as Haplopelma sp. "longipedum" until Volker von Wirth formally described it in 2005. It is very similar to H. lividum, only with dark legs. Also like H. lividum, it has long legs IV. It is more common in the European pet trade than the US. In the United States, many keepers inadvertently confuse a similar looking spider with H. longipes, though it has smaller legs IV. More information on that spider can be found here.
Haplopelma	minax	Thailand Black	There are at least two color variants of this species. The one sold in the pet trade in the 1990's looked like other Haplopelma, but with velvety black legs and a dark carapace. It is black. Pretty much all over. Plain black. Coal black. Darth Vader black. There are rings at the joints, and a vague tiger pattern on the opisthosoma is noted under light in some individuals, but these slight features do not overshadow its darkness, even approaching a molt. What is likely a color variant of H. minax is often sold in the US as Cyriopagopus paganus, Haplopelma sp. "longipedum", and other names has a deep gray overall coloration, with a brownish opisthosoma. More information on that spider is located here
Haplopelma	robustum, salangense	None, or variations of "Earth Tiger"	Southeast Asia, to include Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. The type specimens for H. robustum are missing. What's sometimes sold as H. robustum may be the as the pet-trade L. violaceopes. (or L. violaceopedes) See also L. violaceopedes
Haplopelma	schmidti	Golden Earth Tiger	These Vietnamese spiders are large growing (8" females by some accounts), golden beasts that need ample soil for digging. They're often sold as "Chinese Golden Earth Tiger", and their range does indeed extend north into China. A female specimen was first described by Volker von Wirth in 1991. They're captive-bred by the thousands for venom research. The peptides contained in Huwentoxin-I and Huwentoxin-II (the name comes from confusion with H. huwenum) provide clues to reactions in the human neurological system and therefore these spiders may well prove to be an aid to modern medicine.
Lampropelma	nigerrimum	Borneo Giant Orange Fringed	Only very recently introduced to the US pet trade in 1999, these southeast Asians are large dark burrowers that may be L. nigerrimum, or another Lampropelma species entirely.
Lampropelma	violaceopes	Singapore Violet; Malaysian Blue Femur	Found in Malaysia. It's unknown if this spider actually lives in Singapore, and it's further unclear exactly what species Abraham attributed to the genus Lampropelma. He may have jumbled two different species into his description. What's being sold as L. violaceopes (or sometimes L. violaceopedes)in the pet trade is a burrowing spider that looks somewhat similar to a shaggy H. lividum with slightly flattened tarsi. There is also a large, blue Cyriopagopus species sometimes confused with L. violaceopes (it's arboreal).
Ornithoctonus	andersoni	Asian Mustard	Long legged, tawny tarantulas from Myanmar that like to web a lot
Ornithoctonus	aureotibialis	None	Sometimes sold in the pet trade as Haplopelma sp."aureopilosum" or Haplopelma minax. It is a gorgeous, "fluffy" spider with black legs that have a slight orange tinge along the edges.
Ornithoctonus	costalis	None	O. costalis has black legs and yellowish rigs at the "knee joints". They are small for this genus and were known as H. costale until Volker von Wirth revised this subfamily in 2005. They are in the "red" category due to their rarity in the pet trade.
Phormingochilus	everetti, fuchsi tigrinus	None	Indigenous to Sumatra and Borneo. They're very similar to the beautiful Cyriopagopus species, with striped abdomens. Like Cyriopagopus, they are arboreal.

Subfamily: Poecilotheriinae
These are the Indian "tree spiders" native to India and Sri Lanka.
Their habitat in southern India and Sri Lanka is rapidly dwindling due to deforestation. They were under consideration for inclusion to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) in a proposal sponsored by the United States and Sri Lanka, but that proposal was rejected in April, 2000. If they are included in CITES, they can't be exported, yet where they live will likely be destroyed (at least in the case of India). Some scientists estimated that some Poecilotheria spp. would be extinct by 2005 if human expansion into their habitat continued at its present rate (Charpentier 1996). It hasn't happened yet, but, in the seconds it took you to read that, another tree full of Poecilotheria just went down. For that reason, all are on the "red list", as captive breeding of this genus needs to be a top priority!


Genus	Species	Common Name	Odds n' ends
Poecilotheria	fasciata	Sri Lankan Ornamental	Found near Kandy, Sri Lanka, these fast moving gray and black spiders require a well-ventilated home and do well with a moderate amount of humidity. Similar in dorsal coloration to P. formosa and P. regalis. Their habitat is moderate year-round (with temperatures seldomly exceeding 80F), yet gets quite dry in the summer and exceedingly rainy in the winter months from November to January. Sir James Tennent, in one of the first descriptions of a tarantula bite, describes how a man disturbed a P. fasciata in a wine cellar. The result was swelling and local inflammation.
Poecilotheria	formosa	Salem Ornamental	India. These "tree spiders" are reminiscent of a less spectacular P. regalis without the ventral band.
Poecilotheria	hanumavilasumica	None (Tiger Spider)	Recently described by Andrew Smith and named after a wildlife sanctuary in India. Hopefully, if the environment continues to be protected, Charpentier's prediction won't come true. . .at least with this species.
Poecilotheria	metallica	Gooty Oramental	An extremely beautiful "pokie" from India. Those in the pet trade have metallic blue appendages, blue chelicerae, a blue fringe around the carapace, and a blue stripe down the dorsal center of the opisthosoma. Pocock's original description of an adult female from Gooty, however, portrays coloration similar to a less-defined P. subfusca, and the name is attributed to the bluish sheen on the otherwise brown surfaces on ventral side of the anterior legs. Rick West's site at Birdspiders reveals several color variations. They have recently been introduced to the US pet trade; hopefully, proper attention will be given to captive breeding in the U.S. instead of just selling as many as possible to whomever for a quick buck (note: Kelly Swift produced the first captive-bred P. metallica in the US in early 2005). The original exporters in Europe are indeed wise enough to have withheld breeding groups from sale.
Poecilotheria	miranda	None (Sometimes sold as "Four Spotted Ornamental")	India. These beautiful brownish arboreals have four prominent brown spots along the dorsal abdominal stripe. They've only recently been introduced to the US pet trade at exploitive prices without attention to establishing a captive bred population in the country. Hopefully, those who have been buying them will make an effort to breed them upon maturity if non-cogeners become available. Europeans have insured a captive-bred population on "the other side of the pond".
Poecilotheria	ornata	Fringed Ornamental	From Sri Lanka. These, along with P. rufilata, are the largest growing of the genus and one of the most beautiful. They have the typical yellow markings on the undersides of the forelegs as well as some yellow patterning on the top side. While more prolific with reproduction than some other members of this genus, they are not as socially tolerant. A medically documented bite of P. ornata describes immediate, local swelling at the finger, and pain extending to the armpit. After-effects included a mild allergic reaction as well as joint soreness, but nothing to suggest any effects of severe consequence (Dougherty 2004).
Poecilotheria	pederseni	None</