Tapinauchenius

Tapinauchenius is a New World arboreal tarantula genus first erected by Austrian arachnologist Anton Ausserer in 1871, to house Mygale plumipes—a species originally described by C. L. Koch in 1842 and shuffled through earlier catch-all genera before getting its own, more accurate home. The name combines Greek roots meaning “low” and “neck,” probably referring to the relatively flat carapace of these spiders.

Throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries, additional Tapinauchenius species were described from tropical South America and the Caribbean islands, gradually revealing a group of fast, leggy, tree-dwelling tarantulas with metallic or iridescent coloration and a notable lack of urticating hairs. For many years the genus moved around within the family Theraphosidae and was often lumped with other “aviculariine” tree spiders until more detailed anatomical and phylogenetic work became available.

A major modern turning point came in 2018, when Martin Hüsser published the first broad phylogenetic analysis of this group, describing new Tapinauchenius species (such as T. polybotes and T. rasti) and highlighting a distinct lineage that would later be recognized as the separate genus Amazonius. In 2022, Cifuentes & Bertani produced a comprehensive Zootaxa revision of Tapinauchenius, Psalmopoeus and Amazonius, formally reorganizing several species and transferring the former genus Pseudoclamoris into Tapinauchenius, which significantly reshaped the genus as understood by hobbyists and scientists alike.

Research is still very active: recent work has added new species from Ecuador (including T. montufari and others) and refined the placement of Tapinauchenius within the subfamily Psalmopoeinae. Today, Tapinauchenius represents a growing cluster of more than ten described species distributed across northern South America, Central America, and the Caribbean—prized in the hobby for their speed, intense colors, and sleek arboreal lifestyle, and in science as an important piece of the Neotropical tree-tarantula puzzle.

Tapinauchenius plumipes

• Common name: Mahogany Tree Spider (often sold as “Violet/Purple Tree Spider”)

• Origin: Northern South America (Guianas and northern Brazil)

• Lifestyle: Arboreal, heavy webber; builds a silk tube/retreat in crevices, cork bark, and foliage

• Adult size: ~3–4 in (7.5–10 cm) diagonal leg span

• Growth rate: Fast-growing

• Temperament: Very fast and skittish/bolty; best as a display species (not for handling)

• Color & appearance: Dark “mahogany” base with metallic/iridescent sheen; adults can show a purple cast; notably fluffy/“feathered” legs and feet

Species history

Tapinauchenius plumipes was first described in 1842 by Carl Ludwig Koch as Mygale plumipes. In 1871, Anton Ausserer erected the genus Tapinauchenius and placed plumipes into it—making it the type species for the genus. Early records were complicated by limited material: the species was originally known from a mature male, and the female was later described separately (as Avicularia deborri) before being recognized as the same species.

Over time, multiple names were applied to similar-looking specimens; modern revisions and type re-examinations have clarified several of these as synonyms or misidentifications, including confusion around spiders long circulated under the name “T. gigas” and other hobby names.

Natural habitat

In the wild, Tapinauchenius plumipes is an arboreal tarantula from the humid tropics of northern South America, recorded from Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil.  It lives in warm, moisture-rich forest environments where it uses vegetation and tree structures as cover and anchor points for silk-lined retreats. Field documentation includes individuals found using plant cover—such as a recorded specimen “under a palm leaf retreat” in Amazonas, Brazil—supporting its reputation as a spider that shelters in elevated, plant-associated hideouts rather than burrows.