A new species of tiny arboreal tarantula of the genus Typhochlaena C. L. Koch, 1850 (Araneae, Theraphosidae) from the State of Bahia, Brazil

The genus Typhochlaena C. L. Koch, 1850 comprises five species of tiny arboreal theraphosids found exclusively in Brazil. Some species have a colored, eye-catching pattern which make them an object of desire to the pet market, and two species were included in the Red Book of Threatened Brazilian Fauna by the Brazilian government. Typhochlaena was recovered as the sister group of the remaining aviculariines in phylogenetic analyses, as the genus retains several plesiomorphies and represents a distinct and old divergent clade.

Therefore, it is important to obtain information about their species concerning distribution, habits and biology to aid in protecting their populations and species. Herein, we describe Typhochlaena chapadensis sp. nov., from the Brazilian State of Bahia, in the Chapada Diamantina region. The new species is closely related with T. curumim Bertani, 2012 but can be distinguished by the shape of the male palpal bulb, color pattern and geographic distribution.