Aphonopelma Chalcodes “Desert Blonde Tarantula”

1. AphonopelmaChalcodes“Desert Blonde Tarantula” Sadie, Courtney, Kayla & Kensey

2. Biome Desert • Extremely low amounts of precipitation (-400mm) • Hot and dry temperature (20-25˚C) extreme temperature ranges from 43-49° C • Majority of plants have long roots to get water from deep beneath the soil, along with the waxy leaves, the plants can retain water easily

3. Distribution range Found in most of the worlds tropical, subtropical and arid regions.

4. Population • Is a safe species, but it is tough to differentiate from other tarantulas so there is not an estimate of the current population.

5. Community • Predator- Parasitic Pepsis wasp (paralyze the spider with a sting and lay eggs on the spider) • Live in plant dominated communities • They impact the insect population through their predatory behaviors

6. Ecological niche • Nocturnal predators that don’t travel far from their burrows unless mating season • They plug their burrows in the winter and survive in a relatively inactive state living off of fat reserves.

7. Biotic & Abiotic factors • Doesn’t need much water to survive • Uses abandoned burrows left by rodents for their habitat • Often a victim of parasitism: species of wasps inject their venom, paralyze the spider and when the wasps eggs hatch they eat the spider.

8. Adaptations • The hairs of their back are specialized for defense. If they are threatened they are able to release the hairs by kicking their back legs and brushing them into the face, paw or other body part of the attacker which then cause irritation and are very difficult to remove • They can sense predators through vibrations from the ground

9. Categorized Kingdom: Animalia (Eukaryotic organisms, heterotrophs) Phylum: Arthropoda (jointed legs, exoskeleton) Class: Arachinda (joint-legged invertebrate, 8 legs) Order: Aranease (air-breathing arthropods, 8 legs, largest order of arachnids) Family: Theraphoidae (hairy, long arachnids)