Orphnaecus adamsoni

Orphnaecus adamsoni is a species of tarantula found in the Dinagat Islands, Philippines. It is the fourth member of the genus Orphnaecus found in the country and the fifth overall. It was discovered by a research team of Adamson University in Manila, where it took its name.^[2]

Orphnaecus adamsoni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Mygalomorphae
Family:	Theraphosidae
Genus:	Orphnaecus
Species:	O. adamsoni
Binomial name
Orphnaecus adamsoni (Salamanes, Santos, Austria & Villancio, 2022)[1][2]

Discovery

Orphnaecus adamsoni was discovered by Julius John Salamanes, Jhayson Mark Santos, Eleanor Austria, and Gil Gabriel Villancio^[a] of Adamson University in the province of Dinagat Islands, Philippines. Seven members of the species (three male and four female) were collected in Mt. Magkuno in Loreto and Mt. Arayat in Basilisa and Cagdianao. The team named the species after the university and published their discovery in August 2022 on the open-access journal Biodiversitas.^[2]

Characteristics

Salamanes et al. (2022) noted it closely resembles Orphnaecus kwebaburdeos in Polillo Islands, Quezon Province in Luzon. However, it has rounded carapace and shorter leg segments, more clavate paddle-shaped maxillary lyra, and a different habitat. It has a brownish appearance.^[2]

See also

• Orphnaecus – genus of this species
  • Orphnaecus philippinus
  • Orphnaecus dichromatus
  • Orphnaecus kwebaburdeos
  • Orphnaecus dichromatus – the only known species of Orphnaecus outside the Philippines
• List of Theraphosidae species

Notes

1. Also affiliated with University of the Philippines Los Baños.