Avicularia

Avicularia is a genus of the family Theraphosidae containing various species of tarantulas. The genus is native to tropical Central and South America.[2] Each species in the genus has very distinguishable pink foot pads.

This article is about the spider genus. For the bryozoan zooid form, see avicularium.

Avicularia
Avicularia avicularia female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Theraphosidae
Genus: Avicularia
Lamarck, 1818[1]
Type species
Aranea avicularia
(Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Species

See text.

Diversity
12 species
Synonyms[1]

Avicuscodra Strand, 1908
Eurypelma C. L. Koch, 1850

A common myth about tarantulas is that they are adept jumpers, however this has not been observed by researchers and more likely to cause injury to the spider.[3]

Urticating hairs are distinct to new world tarantulas including the avicularia that are attached to the spider's cuticle via a stalk.[4] These spiny, barbed hairs are used as a defense against potential intruders as well as embedded into silk to protect the egg sac.[5] In active defense, the hairs are released by contact with the stimulus and rubbed in. 'Throwing' or flicking hairs towards an intruder has been seen in A. Versicolor.[6]

At least three species of avicularia are threatened by habitat loss and illegal trafficking, due to their popularity as exotic pets. Avicularia avicularia are among the tarantulas most commonly kept as pets for their "stunning" color and size.[2]

Taxonomy
Maria Sibylla Merian's illustration of a spider eating a bird, bottom left corner. Published 1705 after a research expedition in Dutch Surinam

The genus Avicularia was erected in 1818 by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for species previously placed in Mygale Latreille, 1802, the genus name used at the time for most mygalomorph spiders. One of the species Lamarck included in his new genus was Avicularia canceridea, which included Aranea avicularia, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Araneologists continued to use the name Mygale, although this had been used for genus of mammals in 1800, so was not available for Latreille to use for spiders. Ausserer in 1871 used Avicularia, but a degree of confusion persisted until a decision of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 1928 established the correctness of Avicularia, with the type species being Linnaeus' Aranea avicularia in the combination Avicularia avicularia.[7]

Linnaeus' name avicularia is derived from the Latin avicula, meaning "little bird", and refers to a 1705 illustration by Maria Sibylla Merian, showing a tarantula feeding on a bird. The English names "bird spider" and "bird-eating spider" and the German name Vogelspinne reflect the Latin name.[7]

A major review of the genus drastically reduced the number of species recognized, from over 50 to 12, as of March 2017. Some species have been transferred to other genera, with others reduced to synonymy. Yet more names are considered to be doubtful in their application (nomina dubia).[7][1]

Species

As of March 2017, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:[1]

Transferred to other genera:[1]

  • Avicularia affinis (Nicolet, 1849) → Euathlus affinis
  • Avicularia aymara (Chamberlin, 1916) → Thrixopelma aymara
  • Avicularia caesia (C.L. Koch, 1842) → Caribena laeta
  • Avicularia diversipes (C.L. Koch, 1842) → Ybyrapora diversipes
  • Avicularia dubia → Vitalius dubius
  • Avicularia duplex → Aphonopelma duplex
  • Avicularia embrithes → Brachypelma embrithes
  • Avicularia emilia → Brachypelma emilia
  • Avicularia epicureana → Brachypelma epicureanum
  • Avicularia gamba Bertani & Fukushima, 2009 → Ybyrapora gamba
  • Avicularia geotoma → Aphonopelma geotoma
  • Avicularia guyana → Eupalaestrus guyanus
  • Avicularia hageni → Aphonopelma hageni
  • Avicularia helluo → Aphonopelma helluo
  • Avicularia hespera → Aphonopelma hesperum
  • Avicularia hirsuta (Pocock, 1901) → Iridopelma hirsutum
  • Avicularia imperatrix → Plesiopelma imperatrix
  • Avicularia laeta (C. L. Koch, 1842) → Caribena laeta
  • Avicularia lanceolata → Aphonopelma lanceolatum
  • Avicularia latens → Aphonopelma latens
  • Avicularia magdalena (Karsch, 1879) → Hapalopus formosus
  • Avicularia marxi → Aphonopelma marxi
  • Avicularia mendozae → Grammostola mendozae
  • Avicularia mesomelas → Megaphobema mesomelas
  • Avicularia minax (Thorell, 1894) → Grammostola doeringi
  • Avicularia muritelaria (Holmberg, 1876) → Kukulcani ahibernalis (Hentz, 1842) (Filistatidae)
  • Avicularia myodes → Plesiopelma myodes
  • Avicularia obscura → Ami obscura
  • Avicularia pallida → Aphonopelma pallidum
  • Avicularia palmicola (Mello-Leitão, 1945) → Iridopelma hirsutum
  • Avicularia panamensis → Sericopelma panamense
  • Avicularia parva → Catumiri parvum
  • Avicularia parvior → Lasiodora parvior
  • Avicularia pulchra (Mello-Leitão, 1933) and Avicularia recifiensis (Struchen & Brändle, 1996) → Pachistopelma rufonigrum
  • Avicularia regina (Chamberlin, 1917) → Homoeomma strabo
  • Avicularia rustica → Aphonopelma rusticum
  • Avicularia rutilans Ausserer, 1875 → Caribena versicolor
  • Avicularia sabulosa → Brachypelma sabulosum
  • Avicularia saltator (Pocock, 1903) → Eupalaestrus weijenberghi
  • Avicularia seemanni → Aphonopelma seemani
  • Avicularia seladonia → Typhochlaena seladonia
  • Avicularia serrata → Aphonopelma serratum
  • Avicularia smithi → Brachypelma smithi
  • Avicularia sooretama Bertani & Fukushima, 2009 → Ybyrapora sooretama
  • Avicularia subvulpina Strand, 1906 → Grammostola subvulpina
  • Avicularia spinicrus → Citharacanthus spinicrus
  • Avicularia steindachneri → Aphonopelma steindachneri
  • Avicularia stoica → Aphonopelma stoicum
  • Avicularia tamaulipeca → Clavopelma tamaulipeca
  • Avicularia tripeppi → Nhandu tripeppi
  • Avicularia truncata → Aphonopelma truncatum
  • Avicularia vagans → Brachypelma vagans
  • Avicularia vellutina → Vitalius vellutinus
  • Avicularia versicolor → Caribena versicolor
  • Avicularia violacea → Tapinauchenius violaceus
  • Avicularia wacketi → Vitalius wacketi
  • Avicularia zorodes → Iridopelma zorodes

Treated as synonyms or as nomina dubia:[1]

  • Avicularia ancylochira Mello-Leitão, 1923, synonym of A. avicularia
  • Avicularia arabica (Strand, 1908), nom. dub.
  • Avicularia aurantiaca Bauer, 1996, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia azuraklaasi Tesmoingt, 1996, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia bicegoi Mello-Leitão, 1923, synonym of A.  variegata
  • Avicularia braunshauseni Tesmoingt, 1999, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia cuminami Mello-Leitão, 1930, synonym of A. avicularia
  • Avicularia detrita (C. L. Koch, 1842), nom. dub.
  • Avicularia doleschalli (Ausserer, 1871), nom. dub.
  • Avicularia exilis Strand, 1907, synonym of A. avicularia
  • Avicularia fasciculata Strand, 1907, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia geroldi Tesmoingt, 1999, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia gracilis (Keyserling, 1891) → Ischnocolus gracilis, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia hirsuta (Ausserer, 1875), nom. dub.
  • Avicularia holmbergi Thorell, 1890, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia huriana Tesmoingt, 1996, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia leporina (C. L. Koch, 1841) → Iridopelma leporina, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia metallica Ausserer, 1875, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia nigrotaeniata Mello-Leitão, 1940, synonym of A. avicularia
  • Avicularia ochracea (Perty, 1833), nom. dub.
  • Avicularia plantaris (C. L. Koch, 1842) → Iridopelma plantaris, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia rapax (Ausserer, 1875), nom. dub.
  • Avicularia soratae Strand, 1907, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia surinamensis Strand, 1907, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia ulrichea Tesmoingt, 1996, nom. dub.
  • Avicularia urticans Schmidt, 1994, synonym of A. juruensis
  • Avicularia velutina Simon, 1889, synonym of A. avicularia
  • Avicularia walckenaeri (Perty, 1833), nom. dub.

References
  1. "Gen. Avicularia Lamarck, 1818", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-03-10
  2. Ayroza, Gabriela; Candido Ferreira, Ivan Lavander; Sayegh, Raphael Santa Rosa; Tashima, Alexandre K.; Da Silva Junior, Pedro Ismael (2012). "Juruin: an antifungal peptide from the venom of the Amazonian Pink Toe spider, Avicularia juruensis, which contains the inhibitory cystine knot motif". Frontiers in Microbiology. 3. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2012.00324. ISSN 1664-302X.
  3. "Myth: Less common spider myths". Burke Museum. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  4. Bertani, Rogério; Guadanucci, José Paulo Leite (Aug 2013). "Morphology, evolution and usage of urticating setae by tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae)". Zoologia (Curitiba). 30 (4): 403–418. doi:10.1590/S1984-46702013000400006. ISSN 1984-4670. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  5. Kaderka, Radan; Bulantová, Jana; Heneberg, Petr; Řezáč, Milan (2019-11-11). "Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy". PLOS ONE. 14 (11): e0224384. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224384. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6844489. PMID 31710616.
  6. Bertani, Rogerio (2003). "Release of urticating hairs by A vicularia vcrsicolor (Walckenaer, 1837)(Araneae, Theraphosidae)" (PDF). Bull. Soc. ent. Fr, 44. pp. 29–92. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  7. Fukushima, C.S. & Bertani, R. (2017), "Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of Avicularia Lamarck, 1818 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae) with description of three new aviculariine genera", ZooKeys (659): 1–185, Suppl. 1–5, doi:10.3897/zookeys.659.10717, PMC 5345366, PMID 28331414
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