Theraphosidae Coremiocnemis

"Coremiocnemis" sp. "Brown"

Brown Feather-duster Tarantula

The adult male is brown and looks like a Phlogiellus. but it may be recognised by its comparatively larger size. The mouthparts, leg scopulae, and male palpal structure suggest that it is closely related to, but not identical with, Coremiocnemis cunicularia (Simon, 1892) the type species of the genus, described from Pinang (Malaysia), and purportedly recorded from Singapore.

While the femora are more darkly coloured than the remaining parts of the legs, the legs are not as contrastingly two-toned, with clearly demarcated femora such as those seen in Coremiocnemis sp. A. and in C. valida Pocock, 1985 which was first described from Sarawak (Malaysia), and again purportedly recorded in Singapore. This raises the question if it can be the male of the black Selenocosmia sp.. despite its similarity with C. cunicularia based on the mouthparts and male palps. The question is valid because both genera are closely related to each other within the subfamily Selenocosmiinae, with a rather murky dividing line between the males of Coremiocnemis and Selenocosmia. The possibility that it may be a Selenocosmia male cannot be dismissed for another reason: although they have never been seen together, this male and the black Selenocosmia female seem to be the more common Selenocosmiinae within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve in Singapore, suggesting that they may well be a matched pair. However, rather than speculating further on the possibility, it is prudent to await DNA analysis, together with other studies to revalidate the separation between Coremiocnemis and Selenocosmia, to resolve such an uncertainty.