Canadian Tarantula Species

[scottyk]

This is posted on the ATS Board. I don't know if Patrick from over there also posts here, so I wanted to see if any AB members had any input on this subject.

The following article mentions two tarantula species that are supposedly found in Canada.

http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007613

I'd love to get some additional info on these. Is anyone keeping them if they do exist?

 

[Frédérick]

these are true spiders, not theraphosids

 

[scottyk]

I figured I'd have come across this by now if it was true. Is that website a Canadian version of Wikipedia or something? Seems like kind of a glaring error....

 

[Sabatta]

Both are classified as mygalomorph from various websites I've seen. Judging by the pics they don't appear to be true spiders. But they are also not the hairy behemoths I was hoping for

http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/arachnoida/araneida/antrodiaetidae/antrodiaetus/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphodros

 

[David_F]

I figured I'd have come across this by now if it was true. Is that website a Canadian version of Wikipedia or something? Seems like kind of a glaring error....

Not really a "glaring error." The word "tarantula" seems to be synonymous with mygalomorph in a lot of places whereas in the US it's reserved for theraphosids. The two "tarantulas" that site mentions are members of Antrodiaetidae and Atypidae, respectively. Both mygalomorphs, neither what we here in North America would normally call tarantulas.

 

[scottyk]

Thanks to both of you for the further clarification.

 

[Travis K]

T's in the Pacific NW

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/plantclinic/resources/pdf/pls108tarantulasinthepnw.pdf

is the above really a Tarantula?
Or just some "evolutionary" reject?

 

[Nitibus]

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/plantclinic/resources/pdf/pls108tarantulasinthepnw.pdf

is the above really a Tarantula?
Or just some "evolutionary" reject?

One of those pics is a B. Smithi found in Mexico. The other looks like a true spider.

 

[Travis K]

dead

Fig. 2. A female Antrodiaetid, probably Antrodiaetus pacificus. By Brett M. Johnson.

Is that dead or alive? And the link says that Antrodiaetus species are Tarantulasnot spiders, so what are they?

 

[syndicate]

u gotta remember the term tarantula is just what we commonly call this type of spiders.in south america they call them bird eaters.in africa they call the baboon spiders ect..Antrodiaetus are mygalomorphs or trapdoor spiders

 

[Travis K]

so?

u gotta remember the term tarantula is just what we commonly call this type of spiders.in south america they call them bird eaters.in africa they call the baboon spiders ect..Antrodiaetus are mygalomorphs or trapdoor spiders

So they areen't what I would call a Tarantula then?

 

[ShadowBlade]

So they areen't what I would call a Tarantula then?

The one on the left, in the US we'd refer to it as a tarantula. On the right, no. It is a mygalamorph though, and in some countries they are called tarantulas. In Europe the 'tarantula' is a form of Wolf Spider.

That's why, if you ever need to ask someone a technical question, use terms like Theraphosid or other such name.

-Sean

 

[tarcan]

David F already resumed the situation, I do not understand why there are still questions about it?

You can see that just like using a common name to describe a species, using tarantula to refer to the theraphosidae family can be equally misleading as it appears that still after David's explanation there are still people that are wondering if they are tarantulas!

Sphodros niger is a mygalomorph and is a purseweb spider, it constructs tubes of silk and will attack preys through the tube of silk itself.

And Antrodiaetus pacificus is also a mygalomorph and is a trapdoor.

None of them are true spiders.

If you want to add to common terms confusion, in french we use "mygale" to normally reffers to theraphosids, but it equally applies to any mygalomorphs in general.

And as you know, the only true tarantula is not a theraphosid, but a true spider, a Lycosa sp.

Here is a Antrodiaetus pacificus I have at home

Martin

 

[tarcan]

I posted in the same time as Sean it would appear!

 

[syndicate]

Martin so is that a tarantula?

 

[tarcan]

Martin so is that a tarantula?

Sure, why not!

 

[patrick86]

It's a small tarantula world isn't it. Yep, Patrick posts over here too. Not as much as on the ATS though.

You all seemed to have found exactly what I did. I actually thought they looked more like trapdoor spiders than T's.