Trichopelma grande Ortiz & Fonseca, 2024

Described by David Ortiz, Elier Fonseca

♂ Male described
Male Male © David Ortiz, in Ortiz & Fonseca (2024), male holotype

Type Locality and Records

Type locality

Bibliography

Ortiz, D. & Fonseca, E. (2024). A hairy giant among dwarves: Trichopelma grande, a distinct new species of tarantula from Cuba (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Journal of Natural History 58 (45-48): 2189-2205.

Distribution

Cuba

Type Locality: La Palma karstic sinkhole, Sierra de Quemado, Viñales, Pinar del Río, 190 m

Adult Male Activity

Collection months of 3 adult male specimen records

Etymology

The specific epithet grande comes from the word meaning large or great in Spanish, and is intended to be used as a noun in apposition. This name was selected to reflect the species' status as the largest known within the genus Trichopelma, and serves as a nod to the geographical origin of the species, endemic to Cuba, a Spanish-speaking country.

Specimen Records (4)

SMF (holotype) ♂ Holotype Cuba

La Palma karstic sinkhole, Sierra de Quemado, Viñales, 190 m; semi-deciduous mesophytic forest, Pinar del Río

April 2008 · col. Elier Fonseca & Gunnary León

Holotype male of Trichopelma grande (SMF); found wandering by midnight on the sinkhole rim, 10 m above the ground. Collected 20 April 2008.

MCZ-IZ167597 ♂ Paratype Cuba

Near Dos Hermanas camping site, western slope of Mogote del Valle, Viñales, 190 m; semi-deciduous microphyllous forest, Pinar del Río

December 2015 · col. Elier Fonseca & David Ortiz

Paratype male of Trichopelma grande (MCZ); collected 26 December 2015 as a juvenile from a trap-door burrow on the ground, moulted into adulthood on 6 February 2016.

IES (paratype) ♂ Paratype Cuba

Cueva del Salón, Sierra de Quemado, Viñales, 150 m; dark zone of cave, Pinar del Río

December 2016 · col. Elier Fonseca & Daniel Proud

Paratype male of Trichopelma grande (IES); found under a stone in the dark zone of a cave. Collected 22 December 2016.

MCZ-IZ167598 juvenile Cuba

Around a spring well, El Infierno farm (near Los Acuáticos), Sierra del Infierno, Viñales, 320 m; evergreen mesophytic forest, Pinar del Río

February 2018 · col. Elier Fonseca

Non-type male juvenile of Trichopelma grande; in trap-door burrow on the ground. Collected 12 February 2018.