Avicularia
Avicularia is a genus of the family Theraphosidae containing various species of tarantulas. The genus is native to tropical South America. Each species in the genus has very distinguishable pink foot pads.
One of the most notable features of the Avicularia species is their odd method of defense. When threatened, their first choice is to jump or run away as quickly as possible – occasionally, though, they will launch a jet of excrement at the perceived threat. Adults are capable of good accuracy and a range of 0.5–1 m.
There is also a belief that they may be the reason behind rumors of "flying spiders" in the rainforests they are native to, as they are quite adept at jumping. Their legs, however, prevent them from gaining much height in making a jump.
Avicularia avicularia are among the tarantulas most commonly kept as pets.
Taxonomy
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.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.
A major review of the genus drastically reduced the number of species recognized, from over 50 to 12, as of 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.
Species
, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:- Avicularia avicularia – Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia
- Avicularia caei Fukushima & Bertani, 2017 – Brazil
- Avicularia glauca Simon, 1891 – Panama
- Avicularia hirschii Bullmer, Thierer-Lutz & Schmidt, 2006 – Ecuador, Peru, Brazil
- Avicularia juruensis Mello-Leitão, 1923 – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil
- Avicularia lynnae Fukushima & Bertani, 2017 – Peru, Ecuador
- Avicularia merianae Fukushima & Bertani, 2017 – Peru
- Avicularia minatrix Pocock, 1903 – Venezuela, Brazil
- Avicularia purpurea Kirk, 1990 – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
- Avicularia rufa Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1945 – Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil
- Avicularia taunayi – Brazil
- Avicularia variegata F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 – Venezuela, Brazil
- Avicularia affinis → Euathlus affinis
- Avicularia aymara → Thrixopelma aymara
- Avicularia caesia → Caribena laeta
- Avicularia diversipes → 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 → Iridopelma hirsutum
- Avicularia imperatrix → Plesiopelma imperatrix
- Avicularia laeta → Caribena laeta
- Avicularia lanceolata → Aphonopelma lanceolatum
- Avicularia latens → Aphonopelma latens
- Avicularia magdalena → Hapalopus formosus
- Avicularia marxi → Aphonopelma marxi
- Avicularia mendozae → Grammostola mendozae
- Avicularia mesomelas → Megaphobema mesomelas
- Avicularia minax → Grammostola doeringi
- Avicularia muritelaria → Kukulcani ahibernalis
- Avicularia myodes → Plesiopelma myodes
- Avicularia obscura → Ami obscura
- Avicularia pallida → Aphonopelma pallidum
- Avicularia palmicola → Iridopelma hirsutum
- Avicularia panamensis → Sericopelma panamense
- Avicularia parva → Catumiri parvum
- Avicularia parvior → Lasiodora parvior
- Avicularia pulchra and Avicularia recifiensis → Pachistopelma rufonigrum
- Avicularia regina → Homoeomma strabo
- Avicularia rustica → Aphonopelma rusticum
- Avicularia rutilans Ausserer, 1875 → Caribena versicolor
- Avicularia sabulosa → Brachypelma sabulosum
- Avicularia saltator → 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
- Avicularia ancylochira Mello-Leitão, 1923, synonym of A. avicularia
- Avicularia arabica, 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, nom. dub.
- Avicularia doleschalli, nom. dub.
- Avicularia exilis Strand, 1907, synonym of A. avicularia
- Avicularia fasciculata Strand, 1907, nom. dub.
- Avicularia geroldi Tesmoingt, 1999, nom. dub.
- Avicularia gracilis → Ischnocolus gracilis, nom. dub.
- Avicularia hirsuta, nom. dub.
- Avicularia holmbergi Thorell, 1890, nom. dub.
- Avicularia huriana Tesmoingt, 1996, nom. dub.
- Avicularia leporina → Iridopelma leporina, nom. dub.
- Avicularia metallica Ausserer, 1875, nom. dub.
- Avicularia nigrotaeniata Mello-Leitão, 1940, synonym of A. avicularia
- Avicularia ochracea, nom. dub.
- Avicularia plantaris → Iridopelma plantaris, nom. dub.
- Avicularia rapax, 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, nom. dub.