Greenbottle blue tarantula | |
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Adult female | |
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Juvenile | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
Family: | Theraphosidae |
Genus: | Chromatopelma Schmidt, 1995[1] |
Species: | C. cyaneopubescens
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Binomial name | |
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Strand, 1907)
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Chromatopelma is a monotypic genus of South American tarantulas containing the single species, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens.[1] Commonly known as greenbottle blue tarantulas due to their metallic blue legs and blue-green carapace, they are very active and fast-growing tarantulas that are particularly attractive to hobbyists. They are native to the Paraguaná Peninsula.[2]
They live in webbed burrows under bushes and tree roots[3] in desert areas of northern Venezuela. The entrance is often extended with webbing, sometimes resembling a funnel shape. These webs may protect the entrance from the harsh desert climate and act as a trap for insects. Their diet can consist of many things. These include crickets, cockroaches and also worms.[citation needed]
In 2013, Venezuelan scientists announced that greenbottle blue tarantulas were threatened by overgrazing that is destroying their habitat.[citation needed] Fumigation of cultivated land has also caused the migration of the species towards the Montecano Biological Reserve and the Cerro Santa Ana Natural Monument.[citation needed] In 2015 it was listed as an endangered species of Venezuela.[4][5]