Pterinochilus vorax??

[Gary]

Is this a valid species name? Most of what info I could find is not in english. What is in english is not useful information. If it is valid, has it been or is it in the hobby anywhere...rare or common as it may be?

Thanks.

Gary

[Boris Striffler]

Hi Gary,

you might find the World Spider Catalog by Norman Platnick a helpful source, if you're looking for valid species names:

Theraphosidae section - World Spider Catalog

Just search the site by CTRL+F and the name you're looking for, and that's what you'll find for P. vorax:

• Gen. Pterinochilus Pocock, 1897
  ...
  mf vorax Pocock, 1897 *....................Angola, Central, East Africa
  P. v. Pocock, 1897b: 752, pl. 43, f. 3 (Dm).
  P. v. Strand, 1907l: 19 (Dm).
  P. mutus Roewer, 1953b: 74, f. 26-27 (m, misidentified).
  P. v. Smith, 1990c: 102, f. 591-600 (m, removed from S of P. constrictus).
  P. v. Schmidt, 1995h: 8, f. 2 (Df).
  P. v. Peters, 2000b: 104, f. 310-311 (m).
  P. v. Gallon, 2002: 216, f. 47-56 (mf).

Actually as the asterisk indicates P. vorax is the type of the genus, the typical Pterinochilus per se and therefor the whole genus is tied to that species.

BTW you might read through Richard's revision of both Pterinochilus and Eucratoscelus, where you find the best (and most complete) information in English.

Cheers
Boris


P.S: Here's the reference for the revision:
Gallon, R. C. 2002: Revision of the African genera Pterinochilus and Eucratoscelus (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Harpactirinae) with description of two new genera. - Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 12 (5): 201-232.

[Gary]

Thanks a ton for the tip.

Take care.

Gary

[T.Raab]

Hi Gary,

like Boris told you, the species P. vorax is valid.

The problem is, that this species is not in the hobby. All proffered P. vorax are probably P. murinus TCF or P. lugardi.