Aphonopelma eutylenum

Chamberlin, 1940

California Ebony Tarantula

Aphonopelma eutylenum, commonly known as the California Ebony Tarantula, is a of tarantula in the Theraphosidae. It is found in California, United States. females can reach a legspan of up to 13 cm (5 inches) and live to about 25 years. Males reach maturity after 8–12 years, leave their burrows to search for mates, and die approximately 6 months after reaching adulthood.

Aphonopelma eutylenum by (c) Chris A. Hamilton, Brent E. Hendrixson, Jason E. Bond, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Aphonopelma eutylenum male ZooKeys 560 by Chris A. Hamilton, Brent E. Hendrixson, Jason E. Bond. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Aphonopelma eutylenum: /æˌfoʊnoʊˈpɛlmə juːˈtɪlɪnəm/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Distribution

Found in California, United States.

Seasonality

males are most conspicuous during warmer months when they abandon burrows in search of mates.

Life Cycle

Long-lived with extended maturation period. Females live to about 25 years. Males reach maturity after 8–12 years, leave burrows to mate, and die approximately 6 months after reaching adulthood.

Behavior

Males leave their burrows after reaching maturity to search for mates. After expending energy on finding a partner, they die of exhaustion about 6 months after adulthood.

More Details

Taxonomic Context

Aphonopelma eutylenum is one of 29 recognized of Aphonopelma in the United States, following the comprehensive 2016 taxonomic revision by Hamilton et al.