Mexican Redknee Tarantula – Anatomy

As arthropods The Mexican redknee have segmented bodies: a cephalothorax (complete fusion of the head and thorax) and an abdomen. They have a dark brown body and 8 legs, with orange-red leg joints. The ends of the legs can detect vibrations, smells and tastes, to help the tarantula locate prey and the opposite sex, although it also has a group of eight eyes. However, their vision is relatively poor.

These arachnids also have two pairs of appendages. The first pair, the chelicerae, serves for feeding and defense; they are also connected to venom glands. The next pair of appendages, the pedipalps, is for feeding, locomotion, and reproductive functions.

They have a black abdomen that is covered in brown hairs. The abdomen has no appendages except those that have been modified to form one to four pairs of short, movable spinnerets, which emit silk. This tarantula will kick hairs off the abdomen with its hind legs when threatened, which cause blindness if they hit the eyes of a predator and can also cause a rash on the skin.

Adult males have special copulatory organs located on their pedipalps. Females are generally larger than males.