Iridopelma

Iridopelma is a genus of Brazilian tarantulas that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901.^[2]

Iridopelma
Iridopelma vanini
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Mygalomorphae
Family:	Theraphosidae
Genus:	Iridopelma Pocock, 1901[1]
Type species
I. hirsutum Pocock, 1901
Species
6, see text

Diagnosis

Males of this genus can be distinguished by the tibial spurs on leg 1 and 2, while females differ from most other genera by the anterior eye row, which is strongly curved forward. Avicularia and Typhochlaena both own the latter characteristics; however, Iridopelma can be distinguished from Avicularia by the spermatheca, which lacks a curvature, and from Typhochlaena by the spinnerets, which are finger-shaped.^[3]

Species

As of March 2020^[update] it contains six species, all found in Brazil:^[1]

• Iridopelma hirsutum Pocock, 1901 (type) – Brazil
• Iridopelma katiae Bertani, 2012 – Brazil
• Iridopelma marcoi Bertani, 2012 – Brazil
• Iridopelma oliveirai Bertani, 2012 – Brazil
• Iridopelma vanini Bertani, 2012 – Brazil
• Iridopelma zorodes (Mello-Leitão, 1926) – Brazil

In synonymy

• I. palmicola (Mello-Leitão, 1945) = Iridopelma hirsutum

Nomina dubia

• Iridopelma leporina (C. L. Koch, 1841) - Brazil
• Iridopelma plantaris (C. L. Koch, 1842) - Brazil

Transferred to other genera

• Iridopelma seladonium (C. L. Koch, 1841) → Typhochlaena seladonia

See also

• List of Theraphosidae species