Idiothele
| Idiothele | |
|---|---|
| Adult female Idiothele mira | |
| Adult female Idiothele nigrofulva | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Idiothele Hewitt, 1919[1] |
| Type species | |
| I. nigrofulva (Pocock, 1898)
| |
| Species | |
| |
Idiothele is a genus of African tarantulas that was first described by J. Hewitt in 1919. [2] While originally described as their own genus, Idiothele was synonymized with Pterinochilus in 1985, due to similar morphological characteristics. This was later reversed by Richard C. Gallon in 2002, citing differences in both morphology and behavior.
Idiothele is the only genus of African tarantulas whose members make trap doors at the entrance of their burrow. [3][4]
Species
As of October 2025, this genus includes two species:[2]
- Idiothele mira Gallon, 2010 – South Africa
- Idiothele nigrofulva (Pocock, 1898) – Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa (type species)
References
- ^ Hewitt, J. (1919). "Descriptions of new South African Araneae and Solifugae". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 6: 63–111.
- ^ a b "Gen. Idiothele Hewitt, 1919". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
- ^ "Idiothele HEWITT 1919". www.baboonspiders.de. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
- ^ "Revision of the African genera Pterinochilus and Eucratoscelus (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Harpactirinae) with description of two new genera | British Arachnological Society". britishspiders.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-12.
External links