Natural history
This spider can be up to {{convert|6|inch|cm}} long, the males black and females dark brown. Like most North American tarantulas, they are relatively harmless to humans, unlikely to bite and with venom only mildly irritating.[1]
The new categorization of this spider is part of an effort to more carefully catalog American tarantula species. For decades there has been a suspicion that there are more species than identified, but that they are similar enough to be overlooked. The new effort has broken them down according to behavior and observable traits, though there has not been genetic testing done to truly ascertain where the species lines are drawn.[2]
References
1. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/641149/Johnny-Cash-tarantula-scientists-discover-new-spider-named-after-singer|title='Johnnycashi' tarantula: Scientists name newly-discovered arachnid after country crooner|author=Stuart Winter|work=Express.co.uk}}
2. ^{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/160204-animals-spiders-tarantulas-science-nation/|title=New 'Johnny Cash' Tarantula Uproots Spider Family Tree|author=Michael Greshko|work=National Geographic News}}
3. ^1 {{cite web |url=http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/species/54676 |title=Aphonopelma johnnycashi Hamilton, 2016 |author=World Spider Catalog |date=2017 |work=World Spider Catalog, version 18.0 |publisher=Natural History Museum Bern |accessdate=5 July 2017}}