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Arboreal Tarantulas and Their Allies: Aviculariinae and Psalmopoeinae

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New World Tarantulas

Part of the book series: Zoological Monographs ((ZM,volume 6))

Abstract

The Aviculariinae spiders sensu lato are known as the American arboreal tarantulas. They are characterized mainly by having legs with few or no spines, laterally extended tarsal and metatarsal scopulae, resulting in a spatulate appearance of the appendices, absence of spiniform setae on the prolateral maxillae, females with completely separated spermathecae, males with palpal bulb with subtegulum not extended, and long and thin embolus without keels (except Antillena). Some Aviculariinae, together with all Theraphosinae, are the only spiders that evolutionarily acquired urticating setae as a defense mechanism. The primary mechanism for releasing the urticating setae in Theraphosinae is by the friction of the legs with the abdomen, which throws the urticating setae into the air, in contrast, in most Aviculariinae the releasing mechanism occurs by direct contact. The Aviculariinae tarantulas have received considerable taxonomic and biological attention and the validity as a monophyletic group has been discussed extensively. Some phylogenetic studies suggest at least two subfamilies for the American arboreal tarantulas and their kin: Aviculariinae and Psalmopoeinae. Likewise, the phylogenetic relationships of these groups have been questioned, linking these tarantulas more closely with African or American taxa. Taxonomy, systematics and some aspects of its natural history, behavioral and distribution are addressed in this chapter.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Rick C. West for his recommendations and corrections, and for his collaboration with the images in Fig. 4.1a–f, 4.6a–d, and 4.8b. Thanks to Julian Kamzol for the images in Fig. 4.2, and Laura Montes de Oca for the help with the edition of the cladograms in Fig. 4.3. We are also thankful to M. Hüsser for the revision of the manuscript and his comments, and to Brad Zamft, for his suggestions and corrections to our English grammar. Y.C. wants to thank the Programa Estudiante-Convenio de Posgraduacão (PEC-PG) from the Brazilian Government, and The Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for the academic fellow process [190543/2015-9].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho” (IBILCE-UNESP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil

    Yeimy Cifuentes

  2. Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução (LEEV), Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil

    Yeimy Cifuentes

  3. Departamento de Ecología y Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Montevideo, Uruguay

    Carlos Perafán

  4. Entomología, Facultad de Ciencias, UDELAR, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Carlos Perafán

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  1. Yeimy Cifuentes
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  1. Facultad de Ciencias, Sección Entomología, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Fernando Pérez-Miles

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Cifuentes, Y., Perafán, C. (2020). Arboreal Tarantulas and Their Allies: Aviculariinae and Psalmopoeinae. In: Pérez-Miles, F. (eds) New World Tarantulas. Zoological Monographs, vol 6. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48644-0_4

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