Selenobrachys philippinus
| Selenobrachys philippinus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Selenobrachys |
| Species: | S. philippinus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Selenobrachys philippinus (Schmidt, 1999)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Selenobrachys philippinus, known as the Philippine tangerine, Philippine orange, or neon orange tarantula is a species of tarantula (family Theraphosidae). It is native to the Philippines. It was described in 1999, by Günter Schmidt, as Selenobrachys philippinus; in 2012, Rick West, Steven Nunn and Henry Hogg made the genus Selenobrachys a junior synonym of Orphnaecus,[1] but in 2025 it was re-classified into its own genus by Acuña, et al.[2]
Description
It has an orange in colour throughout the entire body. It is 28 mm long, or 30 mm with chelicerae included. The fovea is procurved. The retrolateral face of the chelicerae is setae-less and the stridulatory setae on the maxillae are butter knife-shaped.[3]
Behavior
This is an obligate burrower tarantula. They are quite secretive though they are usually found outside their burrows. They would rather flee than fight, and their usual hunting strategy is just to wait.[4]
References
- ^ Orphnaecus philippinus (Schmidt, 1999) World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum of Bern. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ^ Acuña, Darrell C; Dumbrique, Maria Mikaela U; Ranido, Maricel C; Ragasa, Lorenz Rhuel P; Noriega, Charles Nylxon C; Mayor, Anna Beatriz R; Florendo Jr, Gregorio Antonio; Fadri, Mary Jane A; von Wirth, Volker; Santiago-Bautista, Myla R; Guevarra Jr, Leonardo A (31 Mar 2025). "Taxonomic revalidation of Selenobrachys Schmidt, 1999 and Chilocosmia Schmidt & von Wirth, 1992 based on morphological and molecular analyses (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with the description of a new species from Romblon Island, Philippines". ZooKeys. 1233 (5126): 139–193. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1233.128056. PMC 11976310. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Schmidt, G. (1999). Selenobrachys philippinus gen. et sp. n. (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Selenocosmiinae), eine neue Theraphosidae sp. von der Insel Negros (Philippinen). Arachnologisches Magazin 7(5/6): 1-13
- ^ "Orphnaecus philippinus (Philippine Tangerine Tarantula)". Fear Not Tarantulas, Inc. Retrieved 2022-06-28.