Phormictopus is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae (tarantulas) that occurs in the West Indies, mainly Cuba and Hispaniola, with three species probably misplaced in this genus found in Brazil and Argentina. Description Phormictopus species are quite large spiders; for example a female of Phormictus auratus had a total body length of with the longest leg (the fourth) being long. They have stridulating organs on the coxae and trochanters of the pedipalps and first pair of legs. Males have two apophyses (projections) on the tibia of the first pair of legs, and urticating hairs of type I. Females have a two-part spermatheca, and urticating hairs of types I and III. Taxonomy The genus Phormictopus was erected by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901. He transferred Mygale cancerides, first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1806, to his new genus as the type species. When Jan-Peter Rudloff reviewed the genus in 2008, it included 14 species. He reduced this number to seven definitely belonging to the genus, and described five more. Three species were considered misplaced in Phormictopus, but no definite alternative placement was provided. With these exclusions, the genus is probably restricted to the West Indies. Species , the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: Phormictopus atrichomatus Schmidt, 1991 – probably Hispaniola Phormictopus auratus Ortiz & Bertani, 2005 – Cuba Phormictopus australis Mello-Leitão, 1941 - Argentina Phormictopus bistriatus Rudloff, 2008 – Cuba Phormictopus cancerides (Latreille, 1806) (type species) – Caribbean to Brazil Phormictopus cautus (Ausserer, 1875) – Cuba Phormictopus cochleasvorax Rudloff, 2008 – Cuba Phormictopus cubensis Chamberlin, 1917 – Cuba Phormictopus fritzschei Rudloff, 2008 – Cuba Phormictopus jonai Rudloff, 2008 – Cuba Phormictopus melodermus Chamberlin, 1917 – Hispaniola Phormictopus platus Chamberlin, 1917 – United States or Hispaniola Phormictopus ribeiroi Mello-Leitão, 1923 - Brazil Phormictopus schepanskii Rudloff, 2008 – Cuba In synonymy Phormictopus cancerides centumfocensis (Franganillo, 1926) = Phormictopus cautus Phormictopus cancerides tenuispinus Strand, 1906 = Phormictopus cancerides Phormictopus dubius (Chamberlin, 1917) = Phormictopus cubensis Phormictopus nesiotes Chamberlin, 1917 = Phormictopus cautus Phormictopus piephoi Schmidt, 2003 = Phormictopus cubensis Nomina dubia Phormictopus brasiliensis Strand, 1907 - Brazil Phormictopus hirsutus Strand, 1907 - Venezuela Transferred to other genera Phormictopus intermedius (Ausserer, 1875) → Cyrtopholis intermedia Phormictopus multicuspidatus Mello-Leitão, 1929 → Proshapalopus multicuspidatus Phormictopus pheopygus Mello-Leitão, 1923 → Acanthoscurria gomesiana References Further reading Theraphosidae Theraphosidae genera Spiders of the Caribbean Spiders of South America