Rick C. West (born 3 December 1951) is a Canadian arachnologist and an expert on the taxonomy of tarantula spiders.^[1][2] West was born in Victoria, British Columbia. He has been interested in spiders since childhood, and collected his first tarantula, Aphonopelma eutylenum, at the age of 13. He worked primarily as a Chief Constable for a local Animal Humane Society, but also have been involved with the collecting, breeding, rearing and photography of theraphosid spiders.^[3] West has traveled to over 27 countries to document and study them in their environment, has been a host, presenter and co-producer in several tarantula documentaries and has also described several genera and species.^{[1][4][5][6][7][8]}

Species

• Aelurillus westi Azarkina & Zamani, 2019 (Salticidae)
• Antillena rickwesti (Bertani & Huff, 2013) (Theraphosidae)
• Melloina rickwesti Raven, 1999 (Paratropididae)
• Phoneyusa westi Smith, 1990 (Theraphosidae)

• Ferretti, N., Chaparro, J. C., Ochoa, J. A. & West, R. (2023). A new tarantula (Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae) genus endemic from Peru with a novel genitalic morphology among theraphosinae and its phylogenetic placement. Zoologischer Anzeiger 302: 102-112.
• Nicoletta, M., Ferretti, N. E., Chaparro, J. C. & West, R. C. (2022). First record of Tmesiphantes Simon, 1892 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) in Peru: a new species and its phylogenetic placement. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências 94(4, e20200702): 1-17.
• Kaderka, R., Ferretti, N., Hüsser, M., Lüddecke, T. & West, R. (2021). Antikuna, a new genus with seven new species from Peru (Araneae: Theraphosidae: Theraphosinae) and the highest altitude record for the family. Journal of Natural History 55(21-22): 1335-1402.
• Nicoletta, M., Chaparro, J. C., Mamani, L., Ochoa, J. A., West, R. C. & Ferretti, N. E. (2020). Two new endemic species of Bistriopelma (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Peru, including a new remarkable horned tarantula. European Journal of Taxonomy 644: 1-20.
• Ferretti, N., Cavallo, P., Chaparro, J. C., Ríos-Tamayo, D., Seimon, T. A. & West, R. (2018). The Neotropical genus Hapalotremus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with the description of seven new species and the highest altitude record for the family. Journal of Natural History 52(29-30): 1927-1984.
• Sherwood, D., Ferretti, N. E., Gabriel, R. & West, R. C. (2021d). Redescription of the theraphosine Hapalotremus albipes Simon, 1903 and description of four new species of Hapalotremus Simon, 1903 from Peru and Bolivia (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Arachnology 18(9): 965-989.
• Montemor, V. M., West, R. C., Zamani, A., Moradmand, M., Wirth, V. von, Wendt, I., Huber, S. & Guadanucci, J. P. L. (2020). Taxonomy of the genus Ischnocolus in the Middle East, with description of a new species from Oman and Iran (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Zoology in the Middle East 66(1): 76-90.
• Nunn, S. C., West, R. C. & Wirth, V. von (2016): A revision of the selenocosmiine tarantula genus Phlogiellus Pocock 1897 (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with description of 4 new species. International Journal of Zoology 2016(9895234) Full Text
• West, R. C., Nunn, S. C. & Hogg, S. (2012): A new tarantula genus, Psednocnemis, from west Malaysia (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with cladistic analysis and biogeography of Selenocosmiinae Simon 1889. Zootaxa 3299 Abstract
• West, R. C. & Nunn, S. C. (2010): A taxonomic revision of the tarantula spider genus Coremiocnemis Simon 1892 (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with further notes on the Selenocosmiinae. Zootaxa 2443 Abstract
• West, R. C. & Nunn, S. C. (2010): A taxonomic revision of the tarantula spider genus Lyrognathus Pocock 1895 (Araneae, Theraphosidae), with notes on the Selenocosmiinae. Zootaxa 2362 Abstract
• West, R. C., Marshall, S. D., Fukushima, C. S. & Bertani, R. (2008): Review and cladistic analysis of the Neotropical tarantula genus Ephebopus Simon 1892 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) with notes on the Aviculariinae. Zootaxa 1849 Abstract
• Reichling, S. B. & West, R. C. (2000). A new species of tarantula spider (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Theraphosidae) from the Cayo District of Belize. The Southwestern Naturalist 45: 128-132.
• West, R. C. (2000). Some new theraphosids from western Mexico (Araneae, Mygalomorphae). The Southwestern Naturalist 45: 299-305.
• Reichling, S. B. & West, R. C. (1996). A new genus and species of theraphosid spider from Belize (Araneae, Theraphosidae). Journal of Arachnology 24: 254-261.