Harpactira pulchripes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harpactira pulchripes | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Harpactira |
| Species: | H. pulchripes |
| Binomial name | |
| Harpactira pulchripes Pocock, 1901 | |
Harpactira pulchripes, also known as the golden blue-legged baboon spider, is a bright yellow-bodied and metallic blue-legged tarantula found in South Africa.[1] It was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901. It is a very highly desired tarantula in the European and American tarantula keeping hobby.[2]
Its specific name pulchripes is derived from Latin "pulchripes" meaning the "beautiful foot".
Harpactira pulchripes has metallic blue legs. This blue color stretches from the tarsus all the way to the trochanter, where it changes to a vivid orange or yellow. Its carapace is orange or yellow with some black patterning which is the same with the opisthosoma. They are sexually dimorphic, as the males have longer legs and duller colors.[citation needed] Females reach a maximum diagonal leg span of 14 cm while males reach 10 cm. Females live to around 12 years, while males only live to 2 to 3 years. This spider has medically significant venom, though there is little information about its strength.[3][2]
Habitat
This tarantula is found in South Africa in Grahamstown, now known as Makhanda, where its mainly arid with average temperatures of 25 °C, an average yearly rainfall of 628 mm, and an average humidity of 77%,[4] with the average height above sea level being 580 m.
