Romopelma barrigae
Live specimen © Dupérré, Tapia & Salazar-Valenzuela (2026, fig. 8) — living female ECFN 13746, the first female known for the speciesType Locality and Records
Original Description
Distribution
Type Locality: Mindo, Parroquia de San Miguel de Los Bancos, Provincia de Pichincha, 1250 m
Adult Male Activity
Collection months of 1 adult male specimen record, against the rainfall where they live
Mean monthly rainfall and temperature 2001–2020 near where these males were collected, Ecuador. MERRA-2 via NASA POWER, for a grid cell averaging 1714 m. Wet and dry seasons, from the rainfall at the locality itself.
Etymology
The generic name honours David Fernando Romo Vallejo, professor at Universidad San Francisco de Quito and champion of biodiversity conservation. The specific epithet is dedicated to Consuelo Barriga, heart and soul of the Tiputini Biodiversity Station for 27 years - the generic and specific epithets unite husband and wife.
Specimen Records (2)
Holotype male of Romopelma barrigae; originally deposited in the didactic zoology collection of Universidad San Francisco de Quito, now at the Museo de Zoología ZSFQ. Collected 18 November 2015.
The first known female of Romopelma barrigae, described and photographed alive by Dupérré, Tapia & Salazar-Valenzuela (2026).
Taxonomic History
- 2026 Dupérré, Tapia & Salazar-Valenzuela (2026) described the female for the first time, from material collected at Mindo in Pichincha, and used it to separate the species from the newly described Romopelma chirapa.