About Brachypelma auratum Schmidt, 1992
Brachypelma auratum, commonly called the Mexican flame knee, is a tarantula species that is endemic to the Guerrero and Michoacán regions of Mexico. In appearance, it resembles the well-known Mexican red-kneed spider, Brachypelma smithi. However, B. auratum is darker in color, and has more subtle red stripes on its patella. The shape of these red markings gives the species its common common name of flame knee. Because B. auratum is so similar to B. smithi, it was not recognized as a separate species until 1992. This tarantula has been documented living communally with a small frog species, Eleutherodactylus occidentalis.
