Texas Tan Tarantula
Aphonopelma anax
This record describes Aphonopelma anax (species). Recorded family: Theraphosidae. Recorded order: Araneae.
Identification and Appearance
Aphonopelma anax, commonly known as the Texas tan tarantula, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae. The spider is very desirable as a pet, due to its docile nature. Like most Aphonopelma species, it has a very slow growth rate. The species is one of the largest tarantulas found in the United States, as it commonly reaches a leg span of 5 inches at full maturity, and sometimes reaches 6 inches. It is...
Wikipedia reference for Aphonopelma anax: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_anax.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Araneae (Spiders)
- Family
- Theraphosidae (Tarantulas)
- Genus
- Aphonopelma
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Additional species information
Species notes from the sources
Etymology: Aphonopelma anax Chamberlin, 1940
About Spiders: the wider group
Order-level background for Araneae, the group containing Aphonopelma anax. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
As of 2023, 51,673 spider species in 136 families have been recorded, though an estimated 150,000 species exist. Spiders rank 7th in total species diversity among all organism orders. Only 0.5% of spider species pose any risk to human health.
Ecological role of the group
Spider venom contains complex peptides with diverse pharmacological activities, making them valuable for drug development research. Spiders produce up to 7 types of silk from specialized glands. Spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants for biotech applications.
Economic and practical significance of the group
The global spider community kills an estimated 400-800 million tons of prey annually (2017 study). Spiders provide billions of dollars in natural pest control for agriculture. Spider silk is 5× stronger than steel of the same diameter, driving a biomaterials research industry.
Recorded sources for this group: World Spider Catalog, PNAS, Nature, ScienceDirect. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Texas Tan Tarantula (6)
Photo credits: (c) Chris A. Hamilton, Brent E. Hendrixson, Jason E. Bond, some rights reserved (CC BY) | (c) Joseph Connors, all rights reserved, uploaded by Joseph Connors | (c) Johannes, all rights reserved, uploaded by Johannes | Contributed by Tom Bentley; Additional contributions by Mike Quinn , Kyhl Austin