Tarantulas of the World

Amazonicus germani (ex: hobby Psuedoclamoris gigas). Photo by: Tom Patterson

With the new year here, so comes a new revision of Tapinauchenius, Psalmopoeus, Psuedoclamoris including new genus description Amazonicus by Yeimi Cifuentes & Rogerio Bertani.

This extensive revision includes the transfer of Psuedoclamoris to the new genus Amazonicus. The new genus Amazonicus having 2 new described species (A.germani and A.giovanii). The genus Tapinauchenius which has shrunk from 9 species to 8. In addition to all of this, the genus Psalmopoeus also received a well needed revamp which now only consists of 9 species instead of 14.

So what does this all mean to you?

It means you get to relabel your collection to some extent*. Remember that this research paper is based on wild specimens and individuals and you should not rush renaming hobby specimens until more clarifications come out to public regarding certain hobby kept species. Listed below is a full breakdown:

Psalmopoeus:

Psalmopoeus intermedius is now a junior synonym of Psalmopoeus reduncus

Psalmopoeus copanensis is now a junior synonym of Psalmopoeus victori

Psalmopoeus sandersoni is now a junior synonym of Psalmopoeus victori

Psalmopoeus petenensis is now a junior synonym of Psalmopoeus victori

Psalmopoeus maya is now nomen dubium

Tapinauchenius:

Tapinauchenius violaceus is now a junior synonym of Tapinauchenius plumipes*

Tapinauchenius purpureus is now a junior synonym of Tapinauchenius plumipes*

Tapinauchenius concolor is now a junior synonym of Tapinauchenius plumipes*

Tapinauchenius gigas is now a junior synonym of Tapinauchenius plumipes*

*This pertains to wild specimens and individual holotypes and not what’s in the US/EU hobbies currently and should not be mixed up*

Psuedoclamoris:

Psuedoclamoris burgessi is now Amazonicus burgessi

Psuedoclamoris elenae is now Amazonicuz elenae

Amazonicus:

Amazonicus germani is a newly described species (known as hobby Psudoclamoris gigas)

Amazonicus giovanii is a newly described species  (not currently in the US/EU hobby)

Amazonicus burgessi was formerly Pseudoclamoris burgessi

Amazonicus elenae was formerly Psuedoclamoris elenae

The full research paperwork can be found: here

This New World (NW) species comes from Venezuela though recently they have been found all the way in Brazil as well. The Venezuelan Suntiger tarantula is an arboreal species that is a crowd favorite due to its vibrant black coloring with orange chevron marks on its legs and an orange tiger-stripe design on their abdomen. This tarantula experience sexual dimorphism where females are usually bigger and more of a velvet black and sharp orange coloring while males are smaller and are a bit more faded/lighter in color. This is an average size tarantula that at full growth will end up being about 6 inches in size.

Habitat: Because they are tree dwelling spiders your enclosure should be taller with not so much floor space. As spiderlings you can keep them in a small vial with a twig or stick for them to climb up on. At full growth we recommend the most you needing being an 8″ x 8″ wide enclosure that is about 14″ tall. As they like to climb you should also add a decent sized vertical piece of bark with a water dish glued somewhere about 3″ to 4″ from the top. Place the cork bark in about 3″ of substrate. We recommend using coconut fiber such as eco-earth for its high resistance to mold. The Venezuelan Suntiger strives on temperatures of 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit with at least 70% humidity. They tend to web up and create thick tube webs in their enclosure and might even end up living somewhere at the base of their bark.

Feeding:  As slings we recommend small pinhead crickets with their heads crushed off. As most tarantulas the Venezuelan Suntiger can live off of a steady diet of crickets, roaches, locusts, moths and worms. They are great eaters and are fast to pounce on their prey. Be cautious when opening their enclosure to feed them.

Attitude: Though a New World species, this tarantula does not have any urticating hairs. It is extremely defensive and relies solely on its speed and bite when threatened. We do not recommend this tarantula to inexperienced keepers. We also advise you to not handle a Suntiger tarantula because of these reasons.

The Panama Blond Tarantula is a species of tarantula from the rainforests of Panama. This is a great new world (NW) arboreal tarantula and is perfect for the intermediate hobbyist who wants to migrate from the Avicularia species to a different type of arboreal for the first time. The Panama Blond Tarantula will grow to be about 4 to 6 inches in length. They tend to be slow growers but are very fast in speed.

Habitat:

As most arboreal species the Panama Blond requires an enclosure that has height for it to climb but just enough floor space in the event that it wishes to climb down. As spiderlings they can be kept in medicine vials. For juveniles to adults we recommend a 2.5 to 5 gallon enclosure. the floor space should only be about 2.5 times your tarantula’s leg span and height should be about 4 to 5 times as much. For substrate we recommend coconut fiber that is damp but not wet. You will want to maintain a humidity level of about 75 percent with temperatures between 77 to 84 degrees In addition you will want to make sure you have a nice piece of bark for it to climb on to. We recommend a round hollow piece of cork bark instead of a flat piece of bark, this will give your tarantula a hide should it need one. You can also decorate this enclosure with plants (we recommend fake plants to prevent mold) or other pieces of bark for it to explore on. A fresh shallow water dish should also always be available for your tarantula.

Feeding:

As most insectivores we recommend a steady diet of crickets, cockroaches, locusts and super worms. For slings flightless fruit flies should be suffice until you can start feeding them small pinhead crickets.

Attitude:

Though a new world species we do not recommend handling at all. The Psalmopoeus pulcher does not come equipped with urticating hairs and is a very skittish tarantula that can be very aggressive. They will easily strike a defense pose should they not want to be bothered. This tarantula also has speed and if not careful can easily escape their enclosure which can result in a fall.

All in all it is a great tarantula to have but due to its not so new world characteristics and attitude we recommend this to be for a more intermediate to expert keeper.

If you have a Panama Blond Tarantula tell us about it! Comment down below!