Avicularia

[Martin Oosthuysen]

Here I will just add some fun things and experiences and my personal view on the genus,my personal views aren't rules or laws but from a perspective of a normal hobbyist.

Type species: Avicularia avicularia

Transferred to other genera:
Avicularia annulipes → Euoplos annulipes(Idiopidae)
Avicularia anthracina → Grammostola antracina
Avicularia aureoceps → Brachypelma aureoceps
Avicularia bistriata → Ephebopus murinus
Avicularia borelli → Grammostola borelli
Avicularia brunnipes → Kochiana brunnipes
Avicularia caniceps → Aphonopelma caniceps
Avicularia conspersa → Rachias conspersus(Nemesiidae)
Avicularia cyaneopubescens → Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens
Avicularia deborrii (Becker, 1879) →Tapinauchenius plumipes
Avicularia dubia → Vitalius dubius
Avicularia duplex → Aphonopelma duplex
Avicularia embrithes → Brachypelma embrithes
Avicularia emilia → Brachypelma emilia
Avicularia epicureana → Brachypelma epicureanum
Avicularia geotoma → Aphonopelma geotoma
Avicularia guyana → Eupalaestrus guyanus
Avicularia hageni → Aphonopelma hageni
Avicularia helluo → Aphonopelma helluo
Avicularia hespera → Aphonopelma hesperum
Avicularia imperatrix → Plesiopelma imperatrix
Avicularia lanceolata → Aphonopelma lanceolatum
Avicularia latens → Aphonopelma latens
Avicularia magdalena (Karsch, 1879) →Hapalopus formosus
Avicularia marxi → Aphonopelma marxi
Avicularia mendozae → Grammostola mendozae
Avicularia mesomelas → Megaphobema mesomelas
Avicularia minax (Thorell, 1894) →Grammostola doeringi
Avicularia muritelaria (Holmberg, 1876) →Kukulcani ahibernalis [Hentz, 1842]{Filistatidae}
Avicularia myodes → Plesiopelma myodes
Avicularia obscura → Ami obscura
Avicularia pallida → Aphonopelma pallidum
Avicularia palmicola (Mello-Leitão, 1945) →Iridopelma hirsutum
Avicularia panamensis → Sericopelma panamense
Avicularia parva → Catumiri parvum
Avicularia parvior → Lasiodora parvior
Avicularia pulchra (Mello-Leitão, 1933) andAvicularia recifiensis [Struchen & Brändle, 1996] → Pachistopelma rufonigrum
Avicularia regina (Chamberlin, 1917) →Homoeomma strabo
Avicularia rustica → Aphonopelma rusticum
Avicularia sabulosa → Brachypelma sabulosum
Avicularia saltator (Po****, 1903) →Eupalaestrus weijenberghi
Avicularia seemanni → Aphonopelma seemani
Avicularia seladonia → Typhochlaena seladonia
Avicularia serrata → Aphonopelma serratum
Avicularia smithi → Brachypelma smithi
Avicularia spinicrus → Citharacanthus spinicrus
Avicularia steindachneri → Aphonopelma steindachneri
Avicularia stoica → Aphonopelma stoicum
Avicularia tamaulipeca → Clavopelma tamaulipeca
Avicularia tripeppi → Nhandu tripeppi
Avicularia truncata → Aphonopelma truncatum
Avicularia vagans → Brachypelma vagans
Avicularia vellutina → Vitalius vellutinus
Avicularia violacea → Tapinauchenius violaceus
Avicularia wacketi → Vitalius wacketi
Avicularia zorodes → Iridopelma zorodes

Avicularia affinis (Nicolet, 1849) — ChileAvicularia ancylochira ( Mello-Leitão, 1923 ) — Brazil, the Peruvian Red Stripe Pinktoe, Peruvian Red And Black Pinktoe, Peruvian Monochromatic PinktoeAvicularia arabica ( Strand, 1908 ) — South America? [originally thought to be from Egypt]Avicularia aurantiaca (Bauer, 1996) — Peru, the Peruvian Cinammon Pinktoe, Peruvian Yellow Banded PinktoeAvicularia avicularia ( Linnaeus, 1758 ) — Costa Rica to Brazil, [northern range may begin in southern Mexico], the {French Guianese, Brazilian} Pinktoe, Common PinktoeAvicularia aymara (Chamberlin, 1916) — PeruAvicularia azuraklaasi (Tesmoingt, 1996) — Peru, the Peruvian Powder Blue PinktoeAvicularia bicegoi (Mello-Leitão, 1923) — Brazil, the Brazilian Brick Red PinktoeAvicularia braunshauseni (Tesmoingt, 1999) — Brazil, the Brazilian Goliath PinktoeAvicularia caesia (C. L. Koch, 1842) — Puerto RicoAvicularia cuminami (Mello-Leitão, 1930) — BrazilAvicularia detrita (C. L. Koch, 1842) — BrazilAvicularia diversipes (C. L. Koch, 1842) — Brazil, the [Brazilian] Amazon Sapphire PinktoeAvicularia doleschalli (Ausserer, 1871) — BrazilAvicularia exilis (Strand, 1907) — SurinameAvicularia fasciculata (Strand, 1907) — South AmericaAvicularia gamba (Bertani & Fukushima, 2009) — BrazilAvicularia geroldi (Tesmoingt, 1999) — Brazil, the Brazilian Blue Green PinktoeAvicularia glauca (Simon, 1891) — PanamaAvicularia gracilis (Keyserling, 1891) — BrazilAvicularia hirschii (Bullmer, Thierer-Lutz & Schmidt, 2006) — Ecuador, the Ecuadorian Black Stripe Pinktoe, Ecuadorian Black And Red Pinktoe, Ecuadorian Monochromatic Pinktoe, Ecuadorian Monochromatic Black Stripe PinktoeAvicularia hirsuta (Ausserer, 1875) — CubaAvicularia holmbergi (Thorell, 1890) — Guyane [French Guiana]Avicularia huriana (Tesmoingt, 1996) — Ecuador, the Ecuadorian Woolly PinktoeAvicularia juruensis (Mello-Leitão, 1923) — Brazil, the Brazilian Yellow Banded PinktoeAvicularia laeta (C. L. Koch, 1842) — Brazil, Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican Pinktoe, Puerto Rican Cinammon PinktoeAvicularia leporina (C. L. Koch, 1841) — BrazilAvicularia metallica (Ausserer, 1875) — Suriname, French Guiana [Guyane], the{Surinamese} White ToeAvicularia minatrix (Po****, 1903) — Venezuela, the Venezuelan Red Stripe PinktoeAvicularia nigrotaeniata (Mello-Leitão, 1940) — GuyanaAvicularia ochracea (Perty, 1833) — BrazilAvicularia plantaris (C. L. Koch, 1842) — BrazilAvicularia purpurea (Kirk, 1990) — Ecuador, the Ecuadorian Purple PinktoeAvicularia rapax (Ausserer, 1875) — South AmericaAvicularia rickwesti (Bertani & Huff, 2013) — Dominican Republic, Rick West's Pinktoe, Dominican Republic PinktoeAvicularia rufa (Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1945) — BrazilAvicularia rutilans (Ausserer, 1875) — ColombiaAvicularia sooretama (Bertani & Fukushima, 2009) — Brazil, the Sooretama Reserve PinktoeAvicularia soratae (Strand, 1907) — BoliviaAvicularia subvulpina (Strand, 1906) — South AmericaAvicularia surinamensis (Strand, 1907) — SurinameAvicularia taunayi (Mello-Leitão, 1920) — BrazilAvicularia ulrichea (Tesmoingt, 1996) — BrazilAvicularia urticans (Schmidt, 1994) — Peru, the Peruvian Purple PinktoeAvicularia velutina (Simon, 1889) — Venezuela, Trinidad, the Trinidadian PinktoeAvicularia versicolor (Walckenaer, 1837) — Guadeloupe & Martinique, [Lesser Antilles], the Antillean PinktoeAvicularia walckenaeri (Perty, 1833) — Brazil, the Parahyba Scarlet Pinktoe, Brazilian Orange Toe

Above can be seen Avicularia specimens that were transferred from the genus to another,then the Avicularia genus as it stands now. Changes and reclassification is still underway,which may see specimens moved yet again to other genera or to Avicularia. These type of movements of specimens is not only seen in these,but also in other genera like Poecilotheria and more. Even if seen as Avicularia,you still see specimens with names like Avicularia Sp. Guyana which indicates they have not been fully classified and only the region is used within the name. Another example Avicularia Sp. Peru Purple,which people believe to possibly be Avicularia Urticans. Even the common Avicularia Avicularia, is under debate to which specimens in the hobby are an actual fact the true Avic Avic. Another huge problem is breeding incorrect specimens,not on purpose but due to the lack of knowledge and the classification of this genus specimens that has to be finalized. Even then,we could see a lot of the current ones not being the true specimen,due to breeding that has happened in the hobby from the start.

Another factor that equates into it,is collection of specimens in the wild by people not competent to do so but need to make a quick buck. Let's not adopt a holier than thou attitude, since if it wasn't for the illegal capture of specimens would we even have a hobby today to debate ? What does make me feel positive,due to the influx of specimens and captive breeding I hope the need for wild caught specimens will actually go down. Coming back to Avicularia,the best way in the future would be when they finally classify the specimens within the genus to look at the description closely and all relevant data and start breeding responsibly to rectify possible mishaps. I'm not saying destroy your current specimens if found to be accidental hybrids,but to let them live their natural lives to the fullest and just not breed them.

Avicularia is probably one of the most colorful genera and docile to have in any collection,they aren't defensive and would rather run and hide. At most,they'd use their famous POOP cannon as an alternative defense mechanism. They squirt excrement under pressure,might I add extremely accurate. Some specimens in the hobby,even with the current state of surety of what specimen you have can be identified,
- Avicularia versicolor
- Avicularia Purpurea
- Avicularia Laeta
and probably another few. They are distinct from sling size,and as adults. The Versi in my opinion,being the most beautiful of all Avicularia. The Laeta undoubtedly, the Avicularia with the most attitude. This specimen will not hesitate to show a threat posture,where as stated above others will run or use you as a POOP target practicing device.

When caring for Avicularia many will have their own ways of doing so,some will say a water dish and wet substrate. I have with all my specimens which are different ones,adopted a very different way of caring for them. I live in an area where temperatures will be between 27-32 degrees Celsius on a summer day sometimes higher,and in winter plummet to 0 degrees or even lower. I dampen the substrate and use no water bowl,I've not lost one specimen. I also adopted a different way of making my enclosures,going away from the norm.
- no water bowl
- dampen substrate
- not the the standard enclosure
- use a fan heater or air con to bring up or down ambient room temperature between 19-29 degrees Celsius.
So again,not a rule or law just a point of view. Making my enclosures I turn the container upside down,and use the lid as the area where substrate is added. I make ventilation holes for fresh air,but not too much to not dry out the substrate fast. I have examples of these, and will post photos(Link added below)

http://www.tarantulaforum.com/index.php?posts/22683

I believe doesn't matter who knows what,we learn new things each day and we adapt accordingly. They believed the earth was flat,you actually got in trouble believing otherwise and look today to where we have progressed due to people thinking outside the box and risking ideas. If you have something that works,no matter what others may say share it and improve on it. Many might like you to believe they are experts,in my opinion not many are. I will say this, you get better experienced hobbyists but they themselves can be proven wrong like the example of the Flat earth belief. So to sum this up,enjoy the genus Avicularia and until they finally classify the genus I think we all would wonder what we actually have. I will add some drawings of the spermatheca of the genus Avicularia(not my drawings, just examples),this also is an indication to a specimen. With reclassification,it will be fun to see what's published.

Spermatheca Avicularia

 

[Tomoran]

Wonderfully informative interesting article. I was actually quite amazed at the number of species originally categorized under Avicularia. I've also done a lot of experimenting with arboreal enclosures these past couple weeks (I have three Poecilotheria and an Avicularia that I need to rehouse soon), and I really like the way that you've set yours up. I might have to play with this idea some more...

I also agree that there is a part of the hobby that lends itself to some experimentation, especially in regards to husbandry, as long as the keeper experimenting is well-read on the subject and informed. Their are many gray areas in tarantula keeping that really have no right or wrong answer (large enclosure vs. small, water bowl vs. no water bowl, naturalistic environment vs. spartan, etc.), and these decisions are ultimately left to individual tastes. As long as your animal is comfortable and safe, then some out-of-the-box thinking is a fantastic way to learn new techniques and ideas.

That being said, the key word is "informed". Too many folks new to the hobby seek assistance on the boards from those experienced in keeping Ts, then ignore the information with a "well, this works for me" attitude. I think the key is to have enough experience and a deep enough knowledge base on the subject to recognize when your "new" idea is just an older, rehashed one that has long been abandoned by those with more experience (in which case, you'd be essentially back to proving the world flat). You hit the nail on the proverbial head when you said that keepers should share their ideas and experiments, so that others may benefit from this information. That's one of the reasons these forums can be a fantastic place, as we can all pool our knowledge and continue to take the hobby forward.

Well done!

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

I just think we should look at the hobby with open minds,we tend to not go outside the norm that is set by people. There is not one great thinker that followed someone else,they've always pushed their own hypothesis proven or not. In the end coming up with great ideas,there is no such thing as a DUMB question just a DUMB reply. In the above,I'm trying to give the perception from a general hobbyist. I have been in many situations,where I've asked questions or suggested ideas to be shot down. That's why I went and made my own way of housing arboreal specimens,I've even tested this with Poecilotheria Metallica and others from the genus. Against popular belief, they did not burrow but housed themselves at the top.

I'm not saying I'm smart, but logic speaks louder than any other part of thought and add risk you're bound to succeed. Some things in the hobby, like you stated stay as the norm but I've even pushed that. I housed Avics in my new enclosures with minimal open area, they all made nests within 24 max 48 hours. Where some hobbyists struggle to get them to make nests,this was natural within the time period stated. They were with multiple specimens,like I said even Poecilotheria. I've also did this with other arboreal types as well,glad to say same results.

I hope i can contribute to this great hobby,big or small. Even one person helped,results in him or her helping others. The gratification comes from the thank you,not the acknowledgement. I hope the above some will take to heart,and maybe see themselves in my view. I hope to add more to the above as time goes on,this hobby is a learning experience each and every day. If you believe yourself to be fully or almost knowledgeable,in any aspect of the hobby you're wasting your and other people's time. Thanks for the kind words,some people don't realize a kind word goes a long way.