Grammostola pulchripes
| Chaco golden knee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Grammostola pulchripes | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Grammostola |
| Species: | G. pulchripes |
| Binomial name | |
| Grammostola pulchripes (Simon, 1892) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Grammostola aureostriata Schmidt & Bulmer, 2001 Grammostola aureostriata | |
One of the larger species of tarantula, the Chaco golden knee (Grammostola pulchripes), formerly known by Grammostola aureostriata,[1] can be expected to reach between 20–22 cm (8.5 in). The Chaco Golden Knee tends to be one of the more docile and calm species of tarantula and therefore makes an attractive first pet. The Chaco is an opportunistic burrowing terrestrial tarantula: they tend to burrow while younger and adopt a pre-existing hide as its home when it begins to mature. It is quite flashy in appearance, bearing long light-colored hairs all over its body and gold stripes on its legs, particularly at the "knees". This is a good display species as it often sits in plain view. When it was first imported into the pet trade, it was thought to be a variant of the Pink zebra beauty species, but it is significantly larger and can easily be distinguished by those familiar with both species.
Name
The former (and very commonly used) species name aureostriata is derived from Latin aureus "golden" and striatus "striped".
Natural Habitat
The Chaco Golden Knee tarantulas are known to inhabit the grasslands of Argentina and Paraguay.[2] As such, they are adapted to generally warm climate, with alternating dry and rainy seasons.
Photos
Aureostriata baby eating
Mature male Chaco