Trichopelma


Trichopelma is a genus of South American and Caribbean tarantulas first described by Eugène Simon in 1888.

Taxonomy

This genus was erected by Eugène Simon in 1888 with Trichopelma illetabile and the type species Trichopelma nitidum. A major review of mygalomorph spiders by Robert J. Raven in 1985 led to the genus being greatly enlarged, merging it with other genera Hapalopinus, Leptofischelia, Merothele, Obaerarius and Stothis. Raven placed this expanded genus in the family Barychelidae. In 1994, he proposed moving Trichopelma to the related family Theraphosidae, but without any new evidence, the move was not generally accepted. In 2014 José P. L. Guadanucci carried out a morphological phylogenetic analysis of some mygalomorph genera, including Trichopelma. The study supported Raven's hypothesis, and the genus was moved to Theraphosidae as a member of a re-limited subfamily Ischnocolinae sensu stricto.

Species

it contains seventeen species: