Tarantulas of the World

Tapinuachenius rasti by Tom Patterson

As 2018 is rolling to an end we find ourselves with another big taxonomic revision of a genus.  The genera of Tapinauchenius (Ausserer, 1871) as well as Psalmopoeus (Pocock, 1895) have never been reviews or revised before, even though new species have been described in recent years. (As early as 2014 by Jorge Mendoza – Psalmopoeus victori)

So what does this all mean to you?

Well…Quite a bit. Through extensive research Martin Hüsser, was able to revise and also re-describe the following tarantulas:

Tapinauchenius sp Colombia (A new species from the Amazon region) is now Pseudoclamoris burgessi

Tapinauchenius gigas is now Psuedoclamoris gigas

Tapinauchenius elenae is now Psuedoclamoris elenae

Tapinauchenius sp Union Island is now Tapinauchenius rasti

Tapinauchenius sanctivicenti is now Tapinauchenius polybotes

Tap subcaeruleus is now nomen dubium (meaning there is not enough accurate data to precisely describe or confirm this species)

In addition to all of this, the genera/Subfamily Psalmoponinae has been revised to include the following genus families; Ephebopus, Psalmopoeus, Psuedoclamoris and Tapinauchenius.

Why you ask?

The way Psalmponinae is diagnosed is based on molecular and morphological phylogenies. Which you can look at as a family tree where your great-grandparents are the same relatives as your distant cousins.

Though for some of you it may be annoying to have to remake labels and re-learn new nomenclature, its definitely the right thing to do. Taxonomy long ago was nowhere near as specific and precise as it is today. Hence why so much has been placed in the wrong genera or simply left undescribed. When a genus gets moved or changed to a new genus it just means it was never meant to be in that old genus to begin with. There has never been a better time to be part of the hobby.

Full revision article can be found here

THERE HAS BEEN AN UPDATE TO THIS REVISION FOUND HERE

By far one of the most sought after dwarf species, the Colombian Pumpkin Patch tarantula has most definitely become a hobby favorite. They come to us from the pacific coast of Colombia where there are two morphs of this species named “Groot/Large” and “Small/Klein”. The Groot/Large species will grow to be about 3 to 4 inches while the Small/Klein species will grow to be about 2 to 2.5 inches in length. They love a more tropical climate and are a new world species. The average life span for these also varies with most females living to be about 8 to 10 years while males have been known to mature within 2 to 3 years. The Pumpkin Patch will show their colors as early as 2nd to 3rd instar slings.

Habitat:  There is not much room needed for these little guys. As spiderlings you should be able to easily keep them in small vials and later on in deli cups. As full adults they would only need at most a gallon sized critter keeper. They are known burrowers and an ample amount of damp substrate would suffice. We recommend you use coconut fiber but simple damp soil would do the trick just fine. A piece of bark or wood would make a great initial hide as they try to burrow. This species is known for being a very heavy webber and you can count on it webbing the entire enclosure once it feels at home. Temperatures should be kept at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of about 70%. We recommend you keep one side of the enclosure dry and the other side damp.

Feeding: As slings you can feed them flightless fruit flies as well as small crushed up crickets. As they get older you can keep them on a steady diet of pinhead crickets and any type of roaches. The Pumpkin Patch Tarantula can also eat mealworms and superworms with ease. Make sure that you do remove any sort of prey that does that get eaten within 24 hours. These guys being burrowers you might not be able to tell when they are in pre-molt stages or even molting and would not want to cause harm to them by stressing them out and leaving prey in their enclosures.

Attitude: The Pumpkin Patch Tarantula is a great beginner tarantula it is very calm and they rarely strike a threat pose or flick hairs. They tend to make a quick dash once disturbed instead of being defensive. If bitten their venom tends to be very weak and should not cause much discomfort, if you are allergic however please seek medical treatment. As always, though small, you should always be careful when handling any tarantula!