Pamphobeteus is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901. It includes some of the largest spiders in the world. They are found in South America, including the countries of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Panama.
Description
The males of the Pamphobeteus genus have a spoon shaped or thin embolus in the palpal bulb with elongate retrolateral superior and apical keels. They also possess a tibial apophysis with two branches on the first pair of legs, the metatarsus of which closes between the two branches. Females can be distinguished from most genera (except Xenesthis and Longilyra) by the large fused base of the spermathecae and short receptacles, and differs from those two genera by the presence of only ventral metatarsal scopulae on leg IV, and absence of lyriform stridulatory setae respectively.
Species
it contains eighteen species, endemic to northwestern South America and Panama:
- Pamphobeteus antinous <small>Pocock, 1903</small> â Peru, Bolivia
- Pamphobeteus augusti <small>(Simon, 1889)</small> â Ecuador
- Pamphobeteus crassifemur <small>Bertani, Fukushima & Silva, 2008</small> â Brazil
- Pamphobeteus ferox <small>(Ausserer, 1875)</small> â Colombia
- Pamphobeteus fortis <small>(Ausserer, 1875)</small> â Colombia
- Pamphobeteus grandis <small>Bertani, Fukushima & Silva, 2008</small> â Brazil
- Pamphobeteus insignis <small>Pocock, 1903</small> â Colombia
- Pamphobeteus lapola <small>Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022</small> â Colombia
- Pamphobeteus nellieblyae <small>Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022</small> â Ecuador
- Pamphobeteus nigricolor <small>(Ausserer, 1875)</small> (type) â Colombia and Brazil
- Pamphobeteus ornatus <small>Pocock, 1903</small> â Panama and Colombia
- Pamphobeteus petersi <small>Schmidt, 2002</small> â Ecuador and Peru
- Pamphobeteus sucreorum <small>Gabriel & Sherwood, 2022</small> - Panama
- Pamphobeteus ultramarinus <small>Schmidt, 1995</small> â Ecuador
- Pamphobeteus urvinae <small>Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022</small> â Ecuador
- Pamphobeteus verdolaga <small>Cifuentes, Perafán & Estrada-Gomez, 2016</small> â Colombia
- Pamphobeteus vespertinus <small>(Simon, 1889)</small> â Ecuador
- Pamphobeteus zaruma <small>Sherwood, Gabriel, Brescovit & Lucas, 2022</small> â Ecuador
Formerly included:
- Pamphobeteus anomalus <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Proshapalopus amazonicus
- Pamphobeteus benedeni <small>(Bertkau, 1880)</small> â Lasiodora benedeni
- Pamphobeteus cephalopheus <small>Piza, 1944 âÂÂ</small> Vitalius vellutinus
- Pamphobeteus communis <small>Piza, 1939</small> â Vitalius dubius
- Pamphobeteus holophaeus <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Eupalaestrus spinosissimus
- Pamphobeteus insularis <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small>â Vitalius wacketi
- Pamphobeteus litoralis <small>Piza, 1976</small>â Vitalius wacketi
- Pamphobeteus masculus <small>Piza, 1939</small> â Vitalius wacketi
- Pamphobeteus melanocephalus <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Vitalius sorocabae
- Pamphobeteus mus <small>Piza, 1944</small> â Vitalius dubius
- Pamphobeteus piracicabensis <small>Piza, 1933</small> â Vitalius dubius
- Pamphobeteus platyomma <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Vitalius platyomma (Nomen dubium)
- Pamphobeteus rondoniensis <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Vitalius rondoniensis (Nomen dubium)
- Pamphobeteus roseus <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Vitalius roseus
- Pamphobeteus sorocabae <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Vitalius sorocabae
- Pamphobeteus striatus <small>Schmidt & Antonelli, 1996</small> â Lasiodorides striatus
- Pamphobeteus tetracanthus <small>Mello-Leitão, 1923</small> â Vitalius tetracanthus (Nomen dubium)
- Pamphobeteus urbanicolus <small>Soares, 1941</small> â Vitalius dubius
- Pamphobeteus ypiranguensis <small>Soares, 1941</small> â Vitalius dubius
References