World Spider Catalog

Theraphosidae Thorell, 1869

Family | ACCEPTED

N.B.: for the year of description (1869 vs. 1870) see Sherwood et al., 2021: 396, Breitling, 2021b published a different opinion; Raven, 1994: 333 considered the Trichopelmatinae (genera Trichopelma and Psalistops) to belong to the Theraphosidae rather than to Barychelidae, but has not provided a phylogenetic argument for this change; Trichopelma was finally transferred to the Theraphosidae (Guadanucci, 2014: 514) as well as Psalistops (Mori & Bertani, 2020: 37), so in fact Trichopelmatinae is now transferred to Theraphosidae; the monophyly of Theraphosidae and of the most recognized theraphosid subfamilies was confirmed by Lüddecke et al., 2018 and by Foley et al., 2019.

In synonymy:

Solenothele Simon, 1891 = Heterothele Karsch, 1879 (Simon, 1903a: 925)

Gen. Heterothele Karsch, 1879 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:00235

type Heterothele honesta Karsch, 1879; gender feminine

N.B.: considered a senior synonym of Mitura Simon, 1886h: 574, Solenothele Simon, 1891d: 297 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:06261] (type S. decemnotata) and Mitothele Simon, 1892a: 135 (replacement name for Mitura, thought preoccupied in Lepidoptera by Scudder, 1872, sub Mitoura) by Simon, 1903a: 925; Mitura and Mitothele are considered senior synonyms of Thalerommata Ausserer, 1875 by Nicoletta & Ferretti, 2024: 973.

Transferred to other genera:

Heterothele caudicula (Simon, 1886) -- see Thalerommata

In synonymy:

Heterothele affinis Laurent, 1946 = Heterothele honesta Karsch, 1879 (Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 626)

Nomina dubia:

Heterothele atropha Simon, 1907d: 222 (f, Gabon) -- Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 624

Heterothele decemnotata (Simon, 1891d: 298, f, DR Congo, originally in Solenothele) -- Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 625

Heterothele darcheni (Benoit, 1966) | | Gabon urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002099

Macrothele darcheni Benoit, 1966a: 87, f. 1-2 (Df) Original description

Heterothele darcheni Raven, 1983b: 557, f. 1-4, pl. II, f. 3, 5 (f, T from Macrothele)

Heterothele darcheni Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 624, f. 1A-G, 14L (f)

Heterothele erdosi Sherwood & Gallon, 2025 | | Nigeria urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065240

Heterothele erdosi Sherwood & Gallon, 2025: 52, f. 1A-H (Dm) Original description

Heterothele gabonensis (Lucas, 1858) | | Gabon, Equatorial Guinea urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002101

Mygale gabonensis Lucas, 1858: 382, pl. 13, f. 1 (Dm) Original description

Heterothele gabonensis Pocock, 1900g: 846 (S of Diplura longipalpis; revalidated by Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 631)

Heterothele gabonensis Gerschman & Schiapelli, 1973b: 72, f. 8-13 (mf)

Heterothele gabonensis Smith, 1990c: 118, f. 717-720 (mf)

Heterothele gabonensis Schmidt, 1993d: 56, f. 24-25 (mf)

Heterothele gabonensis Schmidt, 2003l: 108, f. 38-39 (mf)

Heterothele honesta Karsch, 1879 | | Rep. Congo, DR Congo urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002102 TYPE SPECIES

Heterothele honesta Karsch, 1879i: 65 (Dmf) Original description

Heterothele affinis Laurent, 1946: 296, f. 2 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002096]

Heterothele affinis Smith, 1990c: 117, f. 706-716 (m)

Heterothele honesta Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 626, f. 2A-N, 3A-B, 4A-D, 5A-B, 14A-D, M-N (mf, S of Heterothele affinis)

Heterothele hullwilliamsi Smith, 1990 | | Cameroon urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002103

Heterothele hullwilliamsoni Smith, 1990c: 119, f. 721-739 (Dm; patronym for Vincent Hull-Williams) Original description

Heterothele hullwilliamsi Platnick, 1993c: 108 (specific epithet corrected)

Heterothele hullwilliamsi Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 629, f. 6A-J, 7A-F, 14E-G, O (m, Df)

Heterothele longipalpis (Karsch, 1879) | | Angola urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065241

Diplura longipalpis Karsch, 1879a: 364 (Df) Original description

Heterothele longipalpis Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 631, f. 8A-F, 14P (f, removed from S of Heterothele gabonensis, rejecting Pocock, 1900g: 846)

Heterothele maxima Gallon & Sherwood, 2026 | | Tanzania urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:066766

Heterothele maxima Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 632, f. 9A-J, 10A-F, 14H-J (Dm) Original description

Heterothele ogbunikia Smith, 1990 | j | Nigeria urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002104

Heterothele ogbunikia Smith, 1990c: 120, f. 740-757 (Df; jm per Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 634) Original description

Heterothele ogbunikia Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 634, f. 11A-D (species inquirenda)

Heterothele spinipes Pocock, 1897 | | Tanzania urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002105

Heterothele spinipes Pocock, 1897b: 737, pl. 41, f. 6 (Dm) Original description

Heterothele spinipes Smith, 1987d: 86, f. 53h (m)

Heterothele spinipes Smith, 1990c: 121, f. 758-777 (m)

Heterothele spinipes Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 635, f. 12A-H, 14K (m)

Heterothele villosella Strand, 1907 | | Tanzania urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:002106

Heterothele villosella Strand, 1907a: 552 (Dm) Original description

Heterothele villosella Strand, 1907f: 206 (m)

Heterothele villosella Nentwig et al., 2020: 26 (nomen dubium)

Heterothele villosella Gallon & Sherwood, 2026: 637, f. 13A-D (m habitus, removed from nomen dubium)