Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#867797
Tarantula - Aphonopelma hentzi

Tarantula - Aphonopelma hentzi
Chisos Basin, Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas, USA
November 14, 2013
Image was shot at noon at about 3400 feet elevation. Based on location, I think it is a Desert Blonde, Aphonopelma chalcodes, but I do not know how to determine the gender. I think it is male based on what I have read, but I'm not sure what I am looking at. I will also post a crop that might help.

Images of this individual: tag all
Tarantula - Aphonopelma hentzi Tarantula - Aphonopelma hentzi

Moved
Moved from Aphonopelma.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Aphonopelma species.
Really, Aphonopelmas are extremely hard to separate (aside from a limited number of species). This appears male as I do see the bulbous end along with what looks to be the tibial hooks on the first pair of legs.

As for species, people would usually say A. hentzi around the Texas area. I don't remember whether A. chalcodes are found in Texas or not or whether they are just limited to Arizona and New Mexico. Good find!

 
Thank You!
Thanks for looking and your comments. They are much appreciated. I did find a government document that identified the type of tarantula in Big Bend National Park as the Texas Tarantula, so I think you are correct, but I guess I should just call it Aphonopelmas sp. since I don't know for sure. The climate in Big Bend NP is more like Arizona and New Mexico. It is very arid and desert-like. ---------Patti

 
Aphonopelma hentzi
Hi Patti,
According to color pattern and distribution, this is an adult male A. hentzi. The other known species in the vicinity are A. gabeli (black males) and A. moellendorfi (similar to hentzi, but not yet known within the Big Bend).

According to the recent revision of Aphonopelma (Hamilton, et al., 2016. http://zoobank.org/References/F4C1691C-1358-4FA9-A031-E305DEE2B6A2), the tarantulas of Texas are as follows (all Aphonopelma):

anax
armada
gabeli
hentzi
moderatum
moellendorfi

Aphonopelma chalcodes is largely restricted to Arizona, with the exception of a specimen collected in 1969 near Rodeo, NM.

Hope this help!

 
TX Aphonopelma
According to NMSU the species in TX are A. echinum, A. hentzi, maybe A. marxi, A. steindachneri, & A. vogelae.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.