Description of the male of the Critically Endangered tarantula Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012 (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with comments on tarantula trade and conservation

Caroline Sayuri Fukushima; Pedro Cardoso; Rogério Bertani

doi:10.3897/zookeys.938.51442

Description of the male of the Critically Endangered tarantula Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012 (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with comments on tarantula trade and conservation

Zookeys. 2020 Jun 4:938:125-136. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.938.51442. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Caroline Sayuri Fukushima¹, Pedro Cardoso¹, Rogério Bertani²

Affiliations

¹ Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 17 (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13), 00014 Helsinki, Finland University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland.
² Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto Butantan, Av. Vital Brazil, 1500 CEP 05503-900, São Paulo, Brazil Instituto Butantan São Paulo Brazil.

Abstract

The genus Typhochlaena C.L. Koch, 1850 consists of five small size arboreal tarantula species with remarkable colored abdominal patterns and a very restricted geographic range in Brazil. Here, we describe the male of Typhochlaena curumim Bertani, 2012, which was collected in an area of Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. The new record extends the northern limit of the geographic range for both the genus and species. As Typhochlaena spp. are now especially popular and requested in the pet market, and because T. curumim is classified as Critically Endangered, we discuss the impacts of the international trade and other challenges on conservation of the genus.

Keywords: Aviculariinae; Mygalomorphae; Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest; CITES; pet trade; trafficking.

Caroline Sayuri Fukushima, Pedro Cardoso, Rogério Bertani.