Idiothele mira

Idiothele mira
	Mature female
	Tarsus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Mygalomorphae
Family:	Theraphosidae
Genus:	Idiothele
Species:	I. mira
Binomial name
	Idiothele mira; Gallon, 2010

Idiothele mira,[1] also known as the blue-foot baboon or the trap-door tarantula, is a species of tarantula endemic to South Africa and is popularized by hobbyists for the striking blue coloration on the ventral side of the tarsi and metatarsi on each leg.[2] Furthermore, the species is well known for belonging to one of two described genera of theraphosids that build a trapdoor, the other being Typhochlaena.[3]

Description

Idiothele mira is a small species, mature females reaching 4.5 inches in diagonal leg span and is very reclusive, rarely leaving its burrow, usually only for mating purposes. This species is easily distinguished by its bright blue "toes" or tarsi and metatarsi, paired with a black and golden carapace, gold radiating within black in a "starburst" pattern, the abdomen is also golden with black speckling. Males have a smaller body size when compared to the leg span, and reach 3.5 inches on average. The eggsac of Idiothele mira commonly contains 25-45 spiderlings. The type specimen is a mature female found in the Ndumo Game Farm of South Africa, an area that has high summer rainfall followed by extremely dry winters.

Etymology

From the Latin for "wonderful", referring to the sky-blue coloration on the tarsi and metatarsi.

References

Gallon, Richard C. (2010-07-01). "On some Southern African Harpactirinae, with notes on the eumenophorines Pelinobius muticus Karsch, 1885 and Monocentropella Strand, 1907 (Araneae, Theraphosidae)". Arachnology. 15 (2): 29–48. doi:10.13156/arac.2010.15.2.29. ISSN 2050-9928.
Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman (20 February 2014). Field Guide to South African Spiders (EPDF). LAPA Uitgewers. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-7993-6910-6.
Bertani, Rogério (2012-10-23). "Revision, cladistic analysis and biogeography of Typhochlaena C. L. Koch, 1850, Pachistopelma Pocock, 1901 and Iridopelma Pocock, 1901 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae)". ZooKeys (230): 1–94. doi:10.3897/zookeys.230.3500. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 3494022. PMID 23166476.

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[1] Gallon, Richard C. (2010-07-01). "On some Southern African Harpactirinae, with notes on the eumenophorines Pelinobius muticus Karsch, 1885 and Monocentropella Strand, 1907 (Araneae, Theraphosidae)". Arachnology. 15 (2): 29–48. doi:10.13156/arac.2010.15.2.29. ISSN 2050-9928.

[Dippenaar-Schoeman2014-2] Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman (20 February 2014). Field Guide to South African Spiders (EPDF). LAPA Uitgewers. p. 413. ISBN 978-0-7993-6910-6.

[3] Bertani, Rogério (2012-10-23). "Revision, cladistic analysis and biogeography of Typhochlaena C. L. Koch, 1850, Pachistopelma Pocock, 1901 and Iridopelma Pocock, 1901 (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae)". ZooKeys (230): 1–94. doi:10.3897/zookeys.230.3500. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 3494022. PMID 23166476.