Dont change your Theraphosa labels...Yet.

[Fran]

Hi everybody,
I have been in contact with some of the people whos working directly and indirectly with the Spinipes/Burgundy revision and seems like that "stirmi" WONT be the final name fot them, but "spinipes" as it was meant to be.

I dont now why the germans came out with the paper, sort of "out of the blue", but seems like it wont last.

 

[PrimalTaunt]

I'm not sure why but I found that to be funny. Either way, I can't wait until this mess gets cleared up once and for all.

 

[Fran]

Thats the info I got from very reliable sources, but again, nothing is out there yet.

Theraphosa will bring us a nice surprise soonl...Wait and see

 

[PrimalTaunt]

Haha, when it comes to you and your obsession with these monsters of the tarantula world, I won't doubt that what you say is coming from a reliable source. Unless maybe that they've been known to grow wings and take down flying pigs.

 

[Fran]

Thanks . I really like the genus a lot. Im mainly focusing on it now.
Between Blondi, Spinipes and Apophysis I have the house full

 

[AmbushArachnids]

Fran, im curious. How many Theraphosa do you own now? :? -Doug

 

[Fran]

Theraphosa? Right now I have:

Blondi: 10 slings. (I lost 3) 1 adult female.
Spinipes: Several adult females,sub adults , slings and 2 males (1MM )
Apophysis: 2 Adult Females, 3 juvie females 1 juvie male.


Gravid: 4 Spinipes, 1 apophysis .

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Hopefully, this means Rogerio Bertani's work is still under development.

ON THE GENUS LASIODORA C. L. KOCH 1850 (ARANEAE, THERAPHOSIDAE) Bertani, R. Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brazil 1500, 05503-900, S„o Paulo S„o Paulo, Brazil

The genus Lasiodora comprises the largest spiders of Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest and is known for naturalists at least since 1641 when the Dutchman Albert Eckhout illustrated one specimen in Pernambuco, Brazil. It is one of the older theraphosid genera, being derived from the division of the genus Mygale and included formerly six species. Ausserer, Bertkau, Thorell, Simon and Pocock described several news species, and in 1901 Pocock choose as type species L. klugi, from Bahia, Brazil and transferred several species for other new genera proposed by him. Other authors such as Strand, Chamberlim and Mello-Leit„o contributed describing many new species. After the synonymy of Crypsidromus with Lasiodora in 1996, the genus has now 38 species and one subspecies, the majority described for Brazil (24). The genus is close to Vitalius, Nhandu and Proshapalopus, differing by the presence of stridulatory bristles on the prolateral coxae of legs I-IV. In this study, six species are considered valid, all them distributed only in Brazil: L. isabellina (synonyms: L. benedeni Bertkau, L. curtior Chamberlin, L. differens Chamberlin, L. cristata Mello-Leit„o, L. difficilis Mello-Leit„o and L. mariannae Mello-Leit„o), L. itabunae Mello-Leit„o, L. subcanens Mello-Leit„o, L. parahybana Mello- Leit„o and L. klugi C. L. Koch. A new species was detected and is described. L. lakoi Mello-Leit„o belongs to the genus Megaphobema and L. spinipes Ausserer to Theraphosa. L. sternalis Mello-Leit„o is a synonym of Acanthoscurria gomesiana Mello-Leit„o. The following species are considered ìnomina dubiaî, since the types could not be located and the descriptions are insuficient for allowing identification: L. acanthognatha Mello-Leit„o, L. boliviana (Simon), L. citharacantha Mello-Leit„o, L. cryptostigma Mello-Leit„o, L. dolichosterna Mello-Leit„o, L. dulcicola Mello-Leit„o, L. erythrocythara Mello-Leit„o, L. fallax (Bertkau), L. fracta Mello-Leit„o, L. moreni (Holmberg), L. pantherina (Keyserling), L. pleoplectra Mello-Leit„o, L. saeva (Walckenaer) and L. striatipes (Ausserer). Species from Central America and Venezuela will be transferred to other genera, mainly to Hapalopus Ausserer.

That abstract was taken from the 2007 International Society of Arachnology 17th International Congress of Arachnology abstract book. http://www.ib.usp.br/~ricrocha/ISA17/CONGRESSOCOMPLETO.pdf

 

[Fran]

Correct . Seems like Rogerio Bertani will be the one naming this sp. At least thats what I know.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

I'm not sure why but I found that to be funny. Either way, I can't wait until this mess gets cleared up once and for all.

You know, if history tells us anything, I don't think any mess will be cleared up. From the scientific stand point I think it will, but for the casual tarantula enthusiast, I think a well written systematic paper won't make a difference. For example, years ago there was a lot of confusion in differentiating between Haplopelma minax, Haplopelma longipes, and Haplopelma sp. "Vietnam." Since Von Wirth and Striffler classified H. longipes and provided a very indisputable means for one to identify H. longipes, there are still H. sp. "Vietnam" being sold as H. longipes. Another similar example is Poecilotheria bara and P. subfusca. At this point in time, P. bara is a junior synonym of P. subfusca but some sellers and hobbyists seem to insist on using the name Poecilotheria bara.

It is my prediction the same will hold true for Theraphosa blondi and the now classified T. stirmi and that whatever happens with the systematics of the genus Lasiodora, we will still have mislabeled and misidentified Theraphosa species circulating the trade.

 

[Zoltan]

Good post, Lonnie!

Seems like Rogerio Bertani will be the one naming this sp. At least thats what I know.

Are you talking about L. spinipes? That species was named by Anton Ausserer in 1871.

 

[Suidakkra]

It's rather disturbing that they cannot settle on the scientific name of one species.

So I cant imagine a genus such as Avicularia will ever be properly named and identified in the near future.

 

[Fran]

Good post, Lonnie!


Are you talking about L. spinipes? That species was named by Anton Ausserer in 1871.

What I mean is that he seems to be the one who will finally locate them as "Spinipes"

 

[Poxicator]

Totally unsurprising as Rudloff J.-P. & D. Weinmann failed to examine holotypes of T. apophysis and T. blondi.

Would T. spinipes derive from L. spinipes which was described with material from Sao Paulo (Ausserer, 1871) and from Santa Catarina (Mello-Leitao, 1921).

Its worthwhile having a re-read of this post:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showpost.php?p=1793281&postcount=20

 

[zonbonzovi]

I don't care what they refer to it/them as, as long as the differential characters are established for each individual *ahem* species.

 

[esotericman]

When differentiating two species might include 150 character states, both morphological and molecular, I am completely at ease with changes to much of the backwater published garbage out there. Change is always going to occur in this hobby. When I started there were "about" 750 species, now there are "about" 900. Regardless of if it's 300 or 3,000, it takes thousands of bench hours and hundreds of samples to differentiate two species, much less what may or may not be a genus.

I am glad some are able to keep somewhat abreast of the changes and are willing to discount garbage and take the time and effort to post it.

 

[smashtoad]

Regardless of if it's 300 or 3,000, it takes thousands of bench hours and hundreds of samples to differentiate two species, much less what may or may not be a genus.

Exactly to the point...this is why it is a million miles from being worth our tax dollars, and is perhaps the biggest scam going right now.

The hobbyists who work with and actually reproduce the animals in captivity are looked down on by many in science, who do nothing but continually find ways to milk the public till by renaming genera and species. The term "species" itself is vague.

Simply put...taxonomic nomenclature is an attempt by man to understand the workings of God, a force that we will never understand. Therefore...contradictions, mysteries, arguments, et al...will always exist, and will always allow research scientists to live out their dreams of catching bugs in tropical locales at the public's expense.

Who among us, in the name of all things sweet and good, would NOT want a job like that? Our elite universities, in their current form, are a racket...a publicly funded racket.

 

[Bill S]

Smashtoad, it's a pity you don't have a better understanding of what science is all about.

 

[LadySharon]

Simply put...taxonomic nomenclature is an attempt by man to understand the workings of God, a force that we will never understand.

don't know about the rest of it but +1 on this statement.

 

[xhexdx]

don't know about the rest of it but +1 on this statement.

I agree with it as well, but you'll find that the majority of the members on here don't believe in God, so the few of us who do get jumped on pretty quickly. :}