507:, and must go through a molting process to grow. Molting serves several purposes, such as renewing the tarantula's outer cover (shell) and replacing missing appendages. As tarantulas grow, they regularly molt (shed their skin), on multiple occasions during the year, depending on the tarantula's age. Since the exoskeleton cannot stretch, it must be replaced by a new one from beneath for the tarantula to grow. A tarantula may also regenerate lost appendages gradually, with each succeeding molt. Prior to molting, the spider becomes sluggish and stops eating to conserve as much energy as possible. Its abdomen darkens; this is the new exoskeleton beneath. Normally, the spider turns on its back to molt and stays in that position for several hours, as it pushes fluids just beneath its old exoskeleton and wiggles its limbs to loosen off the old and reveal the new exoskeleton. Once this has been accomplished, the tarantula does not eat for several days to weeks, and not uncommonly for up to a month after a molt, as its fangs are still soft; the fangs are also part of the exoskeleton and are shed with the rest of the skin. The whole process can take several hours and sheaths the tarantula with a moist, new skin in place of an old, faded one.
625:, and enable them to ambush passing prey. The females spend the majority of their lives in their burrows, which are typically located in, or not far from, vegetation, and consist of a single entrance with a tunnel leading to one or two chambers. The entrance is just slightly larger than the body size of the spider. The tunnel, usually about three times the tarantula's leg span in length, leads to a chamber that is large enough for the spider to safely molt. Further down the burrow, via a shorter tunnel, a larger chamber is located where the spider rests and eats its prey. When the tarantula needs privacy, e.g. when molting or laying eggs, the entrance is sealed with silk, sometimes supplemented with soil and leaves.
645:. Wild-caught specimens shipped for the Chinese market were decreasing in size. The smaller sizes were suspected to be a consequence of a declining population due to excessive export. Exporting is not the only threat, though; some local people have reportedly made a habit of killing these spiders in a nearly systematic way using pesticides, pouring gasoline into burrows, or simply killing migrating spiders on sight. The reasons for these actions seem to be an irrational fear based on myth surrounding
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99:
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around the border of the carapace with a darker reddish-black marking from the middle of the carapace to the front of the head; the upper surface of the abdomen is black. Adult females vary more in carapace color and pattern. The carapace may be mainly black with a brownish-pink border, or the dark area may be broken up into a "starburst" pattern with pale orange–yellow elsewhere.
336:) in the range 52–54 mm (2.0–2.1 in). A sample of 11 males was slightly smaller, with a total body length in the range 46–52 mm (1.8–2.0 in). Although males have slightly shorter bodies, they have longer legs. The fourth leg is the longest, measuring 75 mm (3.0 in) in the
653:
species were added to
Appendix II. Large numbers of Mexican redknee tarantulas caught in the wild continue to be smuggled out of Mexico. At least 3,000 specimens of Mexican tarantulas were reported to have been sent to the United States or Europe a few years prior to 2017, most of which were Mexican
344:
are black to reddish black with three distinctly colored rings, deep orange on the part of the patellae closest to the body with pale orange–yellow further away, pale orange–yellow on the lower part of the tibiae, and yellowish-white at the end of the metatarsi. Adult males have light greyish-red
302:. The species is a large spider, adult females having a total body length over 50 mm (2 in) and males having legs up to 75 mm (3 in) long. Mexican redknee tarantulas are a popular choice for enthusiasts. Like most tarantulas, it has a long lifespan.
527:
and their back legs if disturbed, rather than bite. They are only slightly venomous to humans and are considered extremely docile, though, as with all tarantulas, their large fangs can cause very painful
649:
and related species. Thus, whether the listing strengthened the wild population or not remains uncertain. The species has been bred successfully in captivity. In 1994, all remaining
1207:
1246:
472:
is used, primarily to identify existing species, but also sometimes to support a separation between species. In 2017, Mendoza and
Francke showed that although
1320:
827:
491:
grows very slowly and matures relatively late. The females of this species can live up to 30 years, but the males tend to live for only 5 years or so.
1300:
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red-kneed tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae), and the use of DNA barcodes to assist in the identification and conservation of CITES-listed species".
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1220:
378:
using two adult specimens. The specimens cannot now be found, but his description makes it clear that they actually belonged to what is now
1315:
1310:
671:
Fukushima, C.; Mendoza, J.; West, R.; Longhorn, S.; Rivera Téllez, E.; Cooper, E.W.T.; Henriques, S. & Cardoso, P. (2019).
469:
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is found to the north, in the states of Colima, Jalisco, and
Michoacán. The natural habitat of the species is in hilly
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319:
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was first described by Marc
Tesmoingt, Frédéric Cleton and Jean Verdez in 1997. They stated that it was close to
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441:, the baseplate of the spermatheca is elliptical, rather than divided and subtriangular as in
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lacks these bands. Mature males of the two species can be distinguished by the shape of the
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are similar in external appearance, they are clearly distinguished by their DNA barcodes.
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524:
337:
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have two brownish-pink bands on a greyish background, not visible on all individuals.
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1001:
The
Tarantula Keeper's Guide: Comprehensive Information on Care, Housing, and Feeding
681:
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66:
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is a large spider. A sample of seven females had a total body length (excluding
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836:(Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae) with Morphological Evidence for Their Synonymy"
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The two species have very similar color patterns. When viewed from above, the
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445:; also, the ventral face of the spermatheca is smooth rather than striated.
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249:
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These two were formerly often treated as the same species under the name
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until the situation was clarified by J. Mendoza and O. Francke in 2017.
1186:
737:
295:
1199:
899:
Tesmoingt, M.; Cleton, F. & Verdez, J.M. (1997). "Description de
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are found along the
Pacific Coast of Mexico on opposite sides of the
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120:
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were described in 1999 by a source that did not distinguish between
621:. The deep burrows keep them protected from predators, such as the
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is narrower and less straight than the broad, spoon-shaped one of
309:
83:
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437:. It also has a narrower keel at the apex. In mature females of
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either do not distinguish between the two species or relate to
784:
Mendoza, J. & Francke, O. (2017). "Systematic revision of
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is a terrestrial tarantula native to the western faces of the
340:
male and 67 mm (2.6 in) in a female. The legs and
828:"Distribution and Natural History of Mexican Species of
398:
of the females. However, following Smith's description,
362:, a species originally described in 1897. In 1968, the
907:
n. sp. mâles et femelles, nouvelles espèces proches de
999:
Schultz, Stanley A. and
Schultz, Marguerite J. (2009)
1102:
356:was initially misidentified as the very similar
995:
993:
991:
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370:was found to be an immature male, and in 1994,
972:"An Introduction to Tarantulas and Scorpions"
8:
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1021:(F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897): Documents"
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460:. In this approach, a portion of about 650
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826:Locht, A.; Yáñez, M.; Vázquez, I. (1999).
55:
31:
20:
1085:Mexican Red Knee Tarantula Care and guide
1011:
1009:
663:
456:has been applied to Mexican species of
742:Tesmoingt, Cleton & Verdez, 1997"
7:
595:basin as it opens onto the Pacific.
266:. Many earlier sources referring to
1074:"Photography of Brachypelma smithi"
1027:, UNEP-WCMC & CITES Secretariat
682:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
14:
1321:Fauna of the Sierra Madre del Sur
970:Overton, Martin (April 4, 2007).
402:continued to be misidentified as
1301:IUCN Red List vulnerable species
1278:urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:001862
1068:(Photographs taken in the wild.)
97:
911:(Cambridge, 1897) du Mexique".
532:, which can lead to secondary
1:
879:National Wildlife Association
748:. Natural History Museum Bern
637:(then not distinguished from
540:may intensify with any bite.
931:"Mexican Red Knee Tarantula"
536:if not properly treated and
256:. It has been confused with
1003:(Revised Edition). Barrons.
946:"Caring for your Tarantula"
232:, Cleton & Verdez, 1997
1339:
843:The Journal of Arachnology
264:Mexican redknee tarantulas
1316:Spiders described in 1997
1311:Endemic spiders of Mexico
849:: 196–200. Archived from
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94:Scientific classification
92:
75:
53:
44:
39:
30:
23:
1048:Hijmensen, Eddy (2011).
790:Invertebrate Systematics
544:Distribution and habitat
262:; both have been called
689:: e.T66081800A148726332
286:mountain ranges in the
280:Sierra Madre Occidental
581:
519:tarantulas, they kick
322:
974:. arachnophiliac.info
587:and the very similar
552:Distribution of some
551:
499:Like all tarantulas,
429:, the palpal bulb of
313:
746:World Spider Catalog
709:"Appendices | CITES"
654:redknee tarantulas.
470:cytochrome oxidase I
314:Adult assumed to be
284:Sierra Madre del Sur
1134:Brachypelma hamorii
1104:Brachypelma hamorii
1078:Tarantulas breeding
1052:Brachypelma hamorii
905:Brachypelma hamorii
901:Brachypelma annitha
740:Brachypelma hamorii
675:Brachypelma hamorii
534:bacterial infection
354:Brachypelma hamorii
326:Brachypelma hamorii
241:Brachypelma hamorii
223:Brachypelma hamorii
47:Conservation status
25:Brachypelma hamorii
16:Species of arachnid
1019:Brachypelma smithi
909:Brachypelma smithi
582:
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1288:
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1096:Taxon identifiers
643:CITES Appendix II
623:white-nosed coati
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834:Brachypelmides
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796:(2): 157–179.
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435:B. smithi
427:retrolaterally
425:. When viewed
419:B. smithi
404:B. smithi
392:B. smithi
384:B. smithi
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181:Theraphosidae
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976:. Retrieved
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878:
875:"Tarantulas"
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858:. Retrieved
851:the original
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629:Conservation
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167:Infraorder:
24:
18:
1195:iNaturalist
1128:Wikispecies
884:January 28,
830:Brachypelma
786:Brachypelma
651:Brachypelma
615:B. hamorii
585:B. hamorii
556:species in
554:Brachypelma
523:from their
458:Brachypelma
423:palpal bulb
372:A. M. Smith
306:Description
248:species of
192:Brachypelma
141:Chelicerata
137:Subphylum:
80:Appendix II
1295:Categories
1063:2017-10-05
1031:2017-09-22
913:Arachnides
860:2014-05-01
718:2022-01-14
658:References
647:B. hamorii
578:B. smithi
566:B. hamorii
515:Like most
501:B. hamorii
489:B. hamorii
462:base pairs
411:chelicerae
334:spinnerets
330:chelicerae
316:B. hamorii
290:states of
246:vulnerable
131:Arthropoda
62:Vulnerable
1058:mantid.nl
978:August 6,
955:August 6,
713:cites.org
633:In 1985,
601:deciduous
573:B. smithi
538:allergies
517:New World
505:arthropod
484:Longevity
300:Michoacán
259:B. smithi
252:found in
250:tarantula
230:Tesmoingt
199:Species:
151:Arachnida
117:Kingdom:
111:Eukaryota
1260:Species+
1239:66081800
1213:11071079
1119:Q4122285
1113:Wikidata
1025:Species+
810:89587966
525:abdomens
511:Behavior
364:holotype
349:Taxonomy
177:Family:
127:Phylum:
121:Animalia
107:Domain:
67:IUCN 3.1
1252:1750707
1187:2153428
1174:1181782
919:(8–20).
693:June 5,
611:burrows
495:Molting
464:of the
318:at the
296:Jalisco
288:Mexican
187:Genus:
161:Araneae
157:Order:
147:Class:
82: (
65: (
40:Female
1226:852991
1200:264094
1148:796471
808:
609:Their
558:Mexico
503:is an
382:, not
298:, and
292:Colima
254:Mexico
1208:IRMNG
854:(PDF)
839:(PDF)
806:S2CID
468:gene
342:palps
244:is a
84:CITES
78:CITES
1265:3875
1247:NCBI
1234:IUCN
1221:ITIS
1182:GBIF
1161:MYBS
1143:BOLD
980:2012
957:2012
886:2015
832:and
754:2017
695:2022
687:2019
617:and
476:and
338:type
332:and
282:and
1273:WSC
1169:EoL
1156:CoL
798:doi
413:of
366:of
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1056:.
1023:,
1008:^
988:^
948:.
917:32
877:.
847:27
845:.
841:.
818:^
804:.
794:31
792:.
762:^
744:.
727:^
711:.
685:.
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580:.
570:██
563:██
386:.
294:,
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69:)
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