Pterinochilus murinus
Pterinochilus murinus or the orange baboon tarantula, is an old-world tarantula that was first described in 1897 by Reginald Innes Pocock. This species is found on the African continent, in Angola, as well as central, eastern, and southern Africa. It is a member of the subfamily Harpactirinae, baboon spiders.
| Pterinochilus murinus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Pterinochilus |
| Species: | P. murinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pterinochilus murinus (Pocock, 1897) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Among those who keep tarantulas as pets, Pterinochilus murinus is known as "OBT", acronym which stands for "orange baboon tarantula" or "orange bitey thing", and also as the "pterror", a pun on its Latin genus classification of Pterinochilus. These nicknames reference a particular orange colour form that is prized in the hobby for its beauty, as well as its painful bite. It is also known as the Mombasa golden starburst tarantula.
This species is incredibly defensive and, as with most old world tarantulas, should not be held. The bite of this species, while not serious, is extremely painful. Moreover, the species is more than willing to inflict such a bite without first presenting the typical threat display. Caution when dealing with this species is strongly advised.