Selenocosmia crassipes

Queensland whistling tarantula
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Theraphosidae
Genus: Selenocosmia
Species:
S. crassipes
Binomial name
Selenocosmia crassipes
(L. Koch, 1874)
Synonyms[1]
  • Phrictus crassipes L. Koch, 1874
  • Ischnocolus lucubrans L. Koch, 1874
  • Phlogius crassipes (L. Koch, 1874)
  • Selenocosmia vulpina Hogg, 1901

Selenocosmia crassipes, synonym Phlogius crassipes, also known as the "Queensland whistling tarantula", "barking spider" or "bird-eating tarantula" is a species of tarantula native to the east coast of Queensland, Australia. The name "whistling tarantula" comes from its ability to produce a hissing noise when provoked, a trait it shares with other Australian theraphosids.[2] This hissing is produced by the spider stridulating a patch of setae associated with its chelicerae. It has also been called the "eastern tarantula".[3] The species name crassipes is Latin for "fat leg" referring to the relatively fat front legs.

Selenocosmia crassipes can attain legspans of up to 22 cm (8.7 in). Its body length, from eyes to the rear of its abdomen, measures between 6 and 9 cm (2.4 and 3.5 in), making it the largest Australian tarantula.

  1. ^ "Taxon details Selenocosmia crassipes (L. Koch, 1874)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2018-06-01
  2. ^ "Tarantula or Whistling Spiders". Queensland Museum. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  3. ^ Townsville Bulletin: Spider invasion in Bowen Archived October 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine