Cupiennius salei
| Cupiennius salei | |
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| Cupiennius salei juvenile in northern Honduras, by Stuart J. Longhorn | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Ctenidae |
| Genus: | Cupiennius |
| Species: | C. salei |
| Binomial name | |
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Cupiennius salei Keyserling, 1877 |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ctenus salei Keyserling |
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Ctenus salei Keyserling
Ancylometes ahrensi Lucas
Ctenus mordicus F.O.P.-Cambridge
Ctenus oculatus Simon
Cupiennius ahrensi Schmidt
Phoneutria oculifera Karsch
Cupiennius salei, commonly called the tiger wandering spider, is a large spider belonging to a group of wandering spiders found in Central America (also one of many diverse types that mistakenly get called banana spiders), although this species is specifically from Eastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. The species was accidentally introduced into Germany in the early 20th century from banana plantations in Central America. In the mid-1950s it was realised that the spider is an ideal model for biological research because of its large size, inactive behaviour, and ease of breeding in laboratories. From an initial 1963 publication on its biological characteristics, it has become the most studied species of spider. Furthermore, the spider is now known to produce a complex neurotoxic venom, such as cupiennins and CSTX, of which a peptide called CsTx-1 is highly potent for paralysing its prey. Its toxin has also become one of the most studied among those of venomous spiders. As the spider does not produce a web for trapping prey, being venomous is its primary strategy for prey capture. It is known to prey on a wide range of insects and small vertebrates.
Cupiennius salei is a large spider with distinct sexual dimorphism. The females are relatively larger than the males, measuring up to 3.5 cm in body length, with a 10 cm legspan. The dorsal side of the body is chocolate-brown with small, lighter spots on the abdomen and many darker longitudinal stripes, particularly on the carapace. The ventral side is red-orange with thick black central region under the abdomen. Males measure up to 2.5 cm long and have very long and thin legs. The males are much lighter in colour than the females. They are distinct, with conspicuous palpal bulbs.
Cupiennius salei have one pair of principal eyes and three pairs of secondary eyes located on the prosoma (the anterior end of the head) and they are colour blind. Being adapted to nocturnality, their visual capability is reduced and they rely on their tactile sensation to detect movements or vibrations in their environment.
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Wikipedia