Why aren't funnel web spiders considered as tarantulas?

[Ancistrus]

Why aren't funnel web spiders considered as tarantulas?
To they look very similar minus the hairs, but then some Ts don't have long hairs.

 

[Najakeeper]

What something "looks like" has very little significance in modern taxonomy. For example, tree pythons and tree boas are very similar looking animals from entirely different taxonomical families.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

Why aren´t whales considered as fish? And tomatoes as vegetables? Or hyenas as dogs? The list is endless if you continue that line of thought

 

[Andrea82]

Or 'why are chimpansees primates instead of homo sapiens'.

 

[Bread]

Or 'why are chimpansees primates instead of homo sapiens'.

You mean 'hominidae' like T's are Theraphosidae, chimps are p.troglodytes, we are h.sapiens

 

[Andrea82]

You mean 'hominidae' like T's are Theraphosidae, chimps are p.troglodytes, we are h.sapiens

Of course (didn't think my reply through enough)

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Why aren't funnel web spiders considered as tarantulas?
To they look very similar minus the hairs, but then some Ts don't have long hairs.

Simple question, but very complicated answer. To be as brief as possible, I will list a few characters which separate the funnel webs from tarantulas. I will make the assumption that by "funnel web spiders" you are meaning spiders such as the Sydney Funnel Web and relatives. If you actually mean something else, please provide a link to a picture or provide a more specific name.

The "funnel webs" belong the the family Hexathelidae and the tarantulas in the family Theraphosidae (infraorder Mygalomorphae). A few key differences are as follows...

Hexathelidae
- Claw tufts absent
- Not hairy
- 4 or 6 spinnerets

Theraphosidae
- Claw tufts present
- Hairy or covered uniformly with setae
- Always 4 spinnerets

A word about "hairiness". This character doesn't have anything to do with the length of the hairs (or setae) but how much of it covers the spider. In the tarantulas, there are many that are covered by short setae which doesn't make them look particularly hairy, but the funnel webs (Hexathelids) are for the most part bald which gives them that shiny black appearance. With tarantulas, no matter the length of the "hair" that covers their body, one can scrape or rub it off to reveal the shiny black exocuticle hiding underneath.

 

[Ancistrus]

Simple question, but very complicated answer. To be as brief as possible, I will list a few characters which separate the funnel webs from tarantulas. I will make the assumption that by "funnel web spiders" you are meaning spiders such as the Sydney Funnel Web and relatives. If you actually mean something else, please provide a link to a picture or provide a more specific name.

The "funnel webs" belong the the family Hexathelidae and the tarantulas in the family Theraphosidae (infraorder Mygalomorphae). A few key differences are as follows...

Hexathelidae
- Claw tufts absent
- Not hairy
- 4 or 6 spinnerets

Theraphosidae
- Claw tufts present
- Hairy or covered uniformly with setae
- Always 4 spinnerets

A word about "hairiness". This character doesn't have anything to do with the length of the hairs (or setae) but how much of it covers the spider. In the tarantulas, there are many that are covered by short setae which doesn't make them look particularly hairy, but the funnel webs (Hexathelids) are for the most part bald which gives them that shiny black appearance. With tarantulas, no matter the length of the "hair" that covers their body, one can scrape or rub it off to reveal the shiny black exocuticle hiding underneath.

Thanks, this was the type of answer I was looking for.

 

[Moakmeister]

Simple question, but very complicated answer. To be as brief as possible, I will list a few characters which separate the funnel webs from tarantulas. I will make the assumption that by "funnel web spiders" you are meaning spiders such as the Sydney Funnel Web and relatives. If you actually mean something else, please provide a link to a picture or provide a more specific name.

The "funnel webs" belong the the family Hexathelidae and the tarantulas in the family Theraphosidae (infraorder Mygalomorphae). A few key differences are as follows...

Hexathelidae
- Claw tufts absent
- Not hairy
- 4 or 6 spinnerets

Theraphosidae
- Claw tufts present
- Hairy or covered uniformly with setae
- Always 4 spinnerets

A word about "hairiness". This character doesn't have anything to do with the length of the hairs (or setae) but how much of it covers the spider. In the tarantulas, there are many that are covered by short setae which doesn't make them look particularly hairy, but the funnel webs (Hexathelids) are for the most part bald which gives them that shiny black appearance. With tarantulas, no matter the length of the "hair" that covers their body, one can scrape or rub it off to reveal the shiny black exocuticle hiding underneath.

Don't some tarantulas have 2 spinnerets?

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Don't some tarantulas have 2 spinnerets?

No. All tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) have four. Two anterior (the small ones) and two posterior (the larger ones).

 

[Chris LXXIX]

And what a stupid, silly, not correct term "tarantula/s" is, Jesus Christ. The name is Theraphosidae... try to stick to T.Thorell, for that the only "tarantula" is Lycosa tarantula, and guess why? Because "tarantula" is something related to Taranto, a city in the Southern Puglia region of Italy, where that spider lives and, back then, was discovered.

In a no "mass media" era, that term spread off and basically all the huge spiders were labeled that way, granted, sadly is a worldwide accepted name, but I found pretty stupid to call a G.pulchripes (mere example) "tarantula", since they are from South America. Call those Theraphosidae, period. Let's try to be serious.

 

[Crone Returns]

And what a stupid, silly, not correct term "tarantula/s" is, Jesus Christ. The name is Theraphosidae... try to stick to T.Thorell, for that the only "tarantula" is Lycosa tarantula, and guess why? Because "tarantula" is something related to Taranto, a city in the Southern Puglia region of Italy, where that spider lives and, back then, was discovered.

In a no "mass media" era, that term spread off and basically all the huge spiders were labeled that way, granted, sadly is a worldwide accepted name, but I found pretty stupid to call a G.pulchripes (mere example) "tarantula", since they are from South America. Call those Theraphosidae, period. Let's try to be serious.

Blood pressure, my love, blood pressure lol.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

And what a stupid, silly, not correct term "tarantula/s" is, Jesus Christ. The name is Theraphosidae... try to stick to T.Thorell, for that the only "tarantula" is Lycosa tarantula, and guess why? Because "tarantula" is something related to Taranto, a city in the Southern Puglia region of Italy, where that spider lives and, back then, was discovered.

In a no "mass media" era, that term spread off and basically all the huge spiders were labeled that way, granted, sadly is a worldwide accepted name, but I found pretty stupid to call a G.pulchripes (mere example) "tarantula", since they are from South America. Call those Theraphosidae, period. Let's try to be serious.

But, by your naming convention we shouldn't call Lycosa tarantula a "tarantula" either. We should call it Lycosidae!

 

[Andrea82]

Blood pressure, my love, blood pressure lol.

The man has got a point though...

 

[Trenor]

And what a stupid, silly, not correct term "tarantula/s" is, Jesus Christ. The name is Theraphosidae... try to stick to T.Thorell, for that the only "tarantula" is Lycosa tarantula, and guess why? Because "tarantula" is something related to Taranto, a city in the Southern Puglia region of Italy, where that spider lives and, back then, was discovered.

In a no "mass media" era, that term spread off and basically all the huge spiders were labeled that way, granted, sadly is a worldwide accepted name, but I found pretty stupid to call a G.pulchripes (mere example) "tarantula", since they are from South America. Call those Theraphosidae, period. Let's try to be serious.

Maybe this should have been posted in Theraphosidae Chat and not Tarantula Chat.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

But, by your naming convention we shouldn't call Lycosa tarantula a "tarantula" either. We should call it Lycosidae!

No. Lycosidae is the family. The reason why they called L.tarantula "tarantula" was because they found the spider in Taranto city wild. That's the scientific name of that spider, and as far as I know the first spider to be called "tarantula".

But "tarantula" (Tarantola) means "related to Taranto" or something that is/belongs to Taranto, at the end (in Latin). Therefore I think that it's pretty dumb to view such a big, huge like an hand, hairy NW or OW Theraphosidae (you name one) as a "tarantula" but just me.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Blood pressure, my love, blood pressure lol.

I'm always calm and collected even if seems the opposite :-s

 

[xhexdx]

And what a stupid, silly, not correct term "tarantula/s" is, Jesus Christ. The name is Theraphosidae... try to stick to T.Thorell, for that the only "tarantula" is Lycosa tarantula, and guess why? Because "tarantula" is something related to Taranto, a city in the Southern Puglia region of Italy, where that spider lives and, back then, was discovered.

In a no "mass media" era, that term spread off and basically all the huge spiders were labeled that way, granted, sadly is a worldwide accepted name, but I found pretty stupid to call a G.pulchripes (mere example) "tarantula", since they are from South America. Call those Theraphosidae, period. Let's try to be serious.

I presume you only call them Kleenex if they're actually Kleenex brand, and Q-tips if they're only Q-tip brand, right?

What do you call velvet ants?

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I presume you only call them Kleenex if they're actually Kleenex brand, and Q-tips if they're only Q-tip brand, right?

What do you call velvet ants?

That's a recurring annoying matter that jumps out everytime I mention that. I stick to scientific names, not common names, aside for rare occasions where, since I tend to be lazy, I call Pterinochilus murinus 'OBT', or Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens 'GBB' (mere examples).

What I want to say is that, no matter if obviously now is a worldwide accepted rule, to call (in general) Theraphosidae "Tarantulas" is, IMO, an error.

 

[Olan]

It's like calling a sparkling white wine made in California "champagne". Doesn't make sense.