Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, (Strand, 1907) (Strand, 1907)

Sherwood, Danniella & Gianni-Zurita, Rafael, 2023, Leveraging citizen science data to preliminarily infer the distribution and habitat associations of the Venezuelan endemic Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Strand, 1907) (Araneae: Theraphosidae), Anartia (Oxford, England) 36, pp. 36-50 : 38-41

RESULTS

Analysis of the datasets from iNaturalist demonstrated that 10 out of 11 records ( Figs. 2-6) were from the Paraguaná xeric scrub ecoregion ( Figs. 3, 5, 16). The vast majority (eight) of these records were from central and southeastern parts of the Península de Paraguaná. The other records were of one specimen from the municipio Miranda, estado Falcón, in Ciudad de Coro in a neighbourhood named ‘ Sur La Paz’ ( Figs. 2-4) and, most interestingly, one juvenile specimen from municipio Iribarren , estado Lara, west of Durigua , close to the outskirts of Ciudad de Barquisimeto ( Fig. 2). This latter record ( Freitez Gassan 2023) is a significant range extension for C. cyaneopubescens and the first record from the municipio Iribarren , Estado Lara, but it is important to note that this record is still from the contiguous southern spread of the Paraguaná xeric scrub ecoregion ( Fig. 5), and thus shows that this species is strongly linked with this unique type of habitat. The record from ‘ Sur La Paz’ is also new, but not of as much surprise, considering how close it is to the start of the Península de Paraguaná ( Figs. 2-4).

The single outlying record from an ecoregional perspective is of a single specimen sighted in municipio Colina, estado Falcón, between the towns of Acurigua and El Paso ( Bermúdez 2022), which lies within the Lara-Falcón dry forests ecoregion ( Fig. 4). This record is not very far away from the aforementioned record from municipio Miranda, estado Falcón ( Figs. 2-4), but it does represent a very important record insofar as it demonstrates that C. cyaneopubescens occurs at least in part in the northern part of the Lara-Falcón dry forest. Thus, C. cyaneopubescens seems not to be endemic to the Paraguaná xeric scrub ecoregion. Nonetheless, both ecoregions are characterised by a dry climate, indicating this is an important aspect of the habitat requirements of this species.

Two records of adult males from the Península de Paraguaná also provide the first data for the dates of the breeding season of C. cyaneopubescens . One male was observed on 15 th April 2021 ( Nunes 2021). The later record (see Fig. 1A) was made many years prior on 17 th June 2008 ( Boyce 2008). When considered together, this indicates that the maturation of males occurs during April-June and that this is the main part of the breeding season for C. cyaneopubescens in the wild. Males might mature earlier or later than this, and this should be investigated by future workers (see below). Nonetheless, before the present study, nothing was known of the dates at which adult males matured and wandered in search of females in this taxon.

Interestingly, one observation assessed herein ( Fig. 1C, see also Table 1 ) is of a specimen found on a wooden chair 4 in a house within the Natural Monument Montecano, San José de Cocodite, also observed later on the same day by the author RG-Z. This particular spider is well known to be spotted in the house in question and is often found on the chair it was photographed on (Yenifer Revilla pers. comm.), hence the silk seen on the chair. It is thus evident this species can in part live in areas of human habitation if not directly disturbed (i.e., here in a house within a national park, patrolled by park rangers) but this certainly does not mean that the species as a whole can therefore adapt to further human encroachment on its habitat (see below).