Notes on Egg-sacs and Spiderlings of Two Species of Grammostola (Araneae: Theraphosidae) From Central Argentina

摘要

Tarantulas (theraphosid spiders) possess life-history traits that differ markedly from other spiders. For example, some species live for 15-30 years and require 5-6 years to reach reproductive maturity (Main 1978, Vincent 1993). Most species are habitat specialists and are extraordinarily sedentary (Main 1987, Vincent 1993, Coyle & Icenogle 1994). This combination of life-history characteristics such as longevity, habitat specialism with poor dispersal abilities and small geographic ranges, parallels general characteristics of taxa that are extinction prone, either at the population or species level (McKinney 1997). Moreover, a thorough understanding of theraphosid biology and ecology is necessary from a