aphonopelma bicoloratum vs brachypelma boehmei vs B. baumgarteni

[Ancistrus]

These three species confuses me.
Can anyone point out their differences?
And why is bicoloratum not a Brachypelma? They look very similar.

Thanks

 

[Kibosh]

These three species confuses me.
Can anyone point out their differences?
And why is bicoloratum not a Brachypelma? They look very similar.

Thanks

There is so much more that goes into Tarantula classification then just appearence, but I will let an expert get into that.

 

[Poonjab]

All 3 of those T’s look different to me. Especially the body structure of the a.bicoloratum, Compared to brachy. Out of curiosity, what about each one of the T’s looks similar to you? Comparing images, and owning a couple, they all look different to me.

 

[Ancistrus]

All 3 of those T’s look different to me. Especially the body structure of the a.bicoloratum, Compared to brachy. Out of curiosity, what about each one of the T’s looks similar to you? Comparing images, and owning a couple, they all look different to me.

I guess that is the difference between a trained eye and an untrained eye.
For me I guess out of the three, the bicoloratum is the most different with all orange carapace, but why is it in the genus Aphonopelma?

 

[Poonjab]

I guess that is the difference between a trained eye and an untrained eye.
For me I guess out of the three, the bicoloratum is the most different with all orange carapace, but why is it in the genus Aphonopelma?

Simple answer, taxonomy. But I’d be willing to bet @viper69 could give you a more technical response. Like I mentioned. To me personally, I can tell the body structure apart pretty easy. But there is more to it than that of course.

 

[jrh3]

None of the 3 look alike to me. The legs maybe but thats it.

 

[Tarantuland]

Simple answer, taxonomy. But I’d be willing to bet @viper69 could give you a more technical response. Like I mentioned. To me personally, I can tell the body structure apart pretty easy. But there is more to it than that of course.

Taxonomy is described through phylogeny, Aphonopelma and Brachypelma are distinct genera. These three species have distinct morphological differences. Now with the ability to sequence genetic information, we can further distinguish between species. This is not done more due to lack of funding.

Your question is kind of like asking why isn't a cheetah a leopard.

Here's some fun stuff that doesn't exactly answer your question

Fig. 1. Previous phylogenetic hypotheses of relationships amongst...

Download scientific diagram | Previous phylogenetic hypotheses of relationships amongst select Theraphosinae genera based on morphology; (left) redrawn from P erez-Miles et al. (1996); and (right) from Bertani (2001) [with some genera condensed]. Note: Euathlus à is labelled in source as tree of...

www.researchgate.net

Tarantula phylogenomics: A robust phylogeny of deep theraphosid clades inferred from transcriptome data sheds light on the prickly issue of urticating setae evolution - PubMed

Mygalomorph spiders of the family Theraphosidae, known to the broader public as tarantulas, are among the most recognizable arachnids on earth due to their large size and widespread distribution. Their use of urticating setae is a notable adaptation that has evolved exclusively in certain New...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

This document describes the difference between the three species.

Identification of CITES-listed Tarantulas

Collectively, these species comprise all of the tarantula species that are listed on the Appendices of CITES (at the time of writing).

www3.cec.org

 

[viper69]

Simple answer, taxonomy. But I’d be willing to bet @viper69 could give you a more technical response. Like I mentioned. To me personally, I can tell the body structure apart pretty easy. But there is more to it than that of course.

Your answer would be the same as mine.

 

[Ancistrus]

This document describes the difference between the three species.

Identification of CITES-listed Tarantulas

Collectively, these species comprise all of the tarantula species that are listed on the Appendices of CITES (at the time of writing).

www3.cec.org

Wow, this is great! Thank you so much! Very detailed and interesting.

 

[LucN]

Well, for starters, A. bicoloratum is significantly smaller than both Brachys. Its legs are definitely orange. Boehmei tends to have deep red legs on all segments except the tarsi. when viewed in the best light. Baumgarteni has deep red at the first couple segments, then it turns to a dull orange/yellow colour until it meets with the tarsi. Hope this helps.