Josh's Frogs' Tarantula Photo Thread

[Josh's Frogs]

The Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula's scientific name, Caribena versicolor, translates as, "The Caribbean spider that changes colors." Born sapphire blue with a distinct pattern, they gradually change to being metallic pink overall with a teal cephalothorax, as adults. Changes like these, that happen with age, are called ontogenetic changes.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

This Bonita. She is a Mexican Red Leg Tarantula (Brachypelma emilia). This species is found in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sinaloa and Nayarit in Mexico All species of Brachypelma were placed on CITES Appendix II in 1994, thus restricting trade. Nevertheless, large numbers of tarantulas caught in the wild continue to be smuggled out of Mexico, including Brachypelma emilia. As such it is considered to be threatened by capture for sale to the pet trade. However, these days, the trade in B. emilia largely involves captive-bred spiderlings. This species is found in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Sinaloa and Nayarit in Mexico. This is a very dry and sparse environment. As a result of adapting to that environment, Brachypelma emilia is a desert survivalist. They have been known to go shockingly long periods between meals, as adults. They also have a potential three decade life span!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Avicularia minatrix is known commonly as the Slate Red Pink Toe. The species epithet of their scientific name, "minatrix" means "threatener" or "one who threatens." I do not think that name is a fair assessment because this species is fast too shy to be threatening. If you actually catch this spider out sunning itself, do not make a sound! They instantly vanish at the slightest disturbance. Just the same, I have managed to snap a few great pics of the two specimens at Josh’s Frogs. These are La Comejo and Eulalia. They are named after female Venezuelan freedom fighters.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Her size is not the measure of her value! When most people think of tarantulas, they think of giant spiders. While the largest existing species of spider ever measured is a tarantula, not all tarantulas are giant spiders. There are many coveted dwarf species sporadically available in the hobby. Cyriocosmus leetzi, the Venezuelan Dwarf Beauty Tarantula, is definitely among them. Topping out at barely two inches, this gem of the Colombian Rainforest is the envy of any collector!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The Thai Golden Fringed Tarantula, known scientifically as Ornithoctonus aureotibialis, is an uncommon tarantula that definitely deserves a bit more attention. This Thai beauty from the tropical rainforests of Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia is rarely seen where it comes from. That is because this species is an inveterate burrow dweller that never leaves its home except for if it is destroyed or if it becomes a mature male. This gorgeous tarantula looks like it is reflecting back a golden light source hitting its front legs. You might not see this beauty out of its home much, but when you do, it is all worth it!!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Finally, a “purple” tarantula that lives up to its name! There are quite a few tarantulas that have purple in its name that don’t seem to live up to the word. Tarantulas such as the Violet Tree Spider or the Purple Earth Tiger may have a purple sheen when seen in the right light, but not enough to justify the name. This Ecuadorian Purple Pink Toe Tarantula (Avicularia purpurea), like most of its close relatives, was born with pink legs and black “toes”. She is actually just starting to show the profuse, metallic purple that will cover this entire spider, except for the famous pink “toes”. Even now, she is stunning! We will keep you updated with new pictures as she grows and develops into the purple rock star that she will one day be!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

There are two very popular species of Tarantulas, kept as pets, that are very easy to confuse. These are the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula and the Mexican Giant Orange Knee Tarantula. Brachypelma smithi was first described in 1897. However, in 1994, a man named A. M. Smith redescribed the species using two adult specimens that actually belonged to B. hamorii. B. hamorii was first described, years later, in 1997 by Marc Tesmoingt, Frédéric Cleton, and Jean Verdez. In 2017, J. Mendoza and O. Francke used DNA barcoding to clarify the distinction between the two species. They found that the two species have different DNA barcodes and can be distinguished by other morphological features. Here are some of those visible morphological differences, to help us hobbyists tell the difference. On the left is Brachypelma hamorii. On the right, Brachypelma smithi. In the first picture, you can see the front of the tarantulas showing the leg pattern differences. On B. hamorii, there is only red on the “knee segment” (patella). The rest of the segments are cream colored. On B smithi, the red/orange can be seen on each of the lighter colored bands.

The second picture shows the top (carapace) of the tarantulas. On B hamorii, the carapace is dark, with a red ring along the outermost edge. On B smithi we see that the majority of the carapace is red with a dark triangle over the eye mound.

The third picture shows the sides of the patellas of the number one (first towards the front) leg pairs. On B hamorii, the color is only on the top of the patella. It has black on the sides and bottom of that leg segment. On B smithi, the color is completely across the sides of their patellas, with no black visible from the side or above. Hopefully this can help you differentiate between these two awesome and popular Tarantulas!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Sexual Dimorphism in Tarantulas. Sexual Dimorphism is when the different sexes of a species are shaped and/or colored differently. In tarantulas, this tends not to be apparent until they mature. Immature tarantulas can be infamously difficult to determine their sex. Once they mature, and their body changes occur, it is much easier to tell at a glance. Here we have a male and a female Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula (Monocentropus balfouri). Besides physical differences like the long, spindly legs, the tibial hooks, and the emboli at then end of their pedipalps become easily evident on a mature male. The females will grow much larger and robust. In this species, there is also a color difference. Females tend to have a light teal carapace. Males, meanwhile, will begin to develop a much darker blue crapace several molts before they mature. By the time that they mature, their carapace and legs will have turned a deep cobalt blue. Either way, these are both gorgeous spiders!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Forced Perspective Some pictures on the internet are deliberately presented to be misleading. Many of us have seen pictures of people holding up 8 foot corn snakes or nearly foot long Camel Spiders. One way to make a creature look bigger is called forced perspective. Things that are closer, appear larger. The opposite is also true. Things that are further away look smaller. These creatures are presented to look larger than they are by being closer to the camera than the person holding it up. Here we have what appears to be the largest mature male Trinidad Chevron that ever lived. My hand behind it makes it look to be at least nine inches. But, remember, things that are further away look smaller. What you can't tell is that my hand is several inches behind the spider. My hand is further and the spider is closer, so it looks much bigger, relative to my hand. In the second picture, my hand is directly on the other side of the glass from the tarantula and you get a better idea of its true size!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The Greek Ladybird Spider, also known as Eresus walckenaeri, comes from the eastern Mediterranean countries and regions of Southern Balkans, Southern Italy, Turkey, Aegean Sea islands, and Greece. These spiders are quickly gaining popularity in the Tarantula Keeping Hobby even though they are not tarantulas! These diminutive cuties are more closely related to wolf spiders, orb weavers, and jumping spiders than they are to tarantulas. Spiderlings are usually sold at ¼ of an inch in diagonal leg span. At full size, females top out just under two inches. Adult males are much smaller, but develop a pretty, bright red lady bug pattern on their abdomens. This species gets its common name from what English speaking Europeans call lady bugs, which is, “ladybird”. I think that they look like the love child of a jumping spider and teddy bear!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The species epithet “hatihati” for the Purple Earth Tiger (Phormingochilus hatihati) comes from Indonesian and translates to "be careful". This name is a warning about the spider's bite and the caution required when dealing with it. This species is known to become defensive quite easily. Immediately after snapping this picture, this individual raised up her front legs to invite me to be anywhere in the entire world except right there. I decided to take her up on her offer after I gave her a couple of crickets, respected her wishes, and DID NOT test her boundaries!!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Meet Esqueleta, The True Skeleton Tarantula, also known as Ephebopus murinus! Her kind come from the humid forests of northern Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname. There, they live in intricate, multi pronged underground silk lined tunnels. They are well adapted to tunnel life. It shows in their anatomy. True Skeleton Tarantulas have bulky, extra strong number 1 and 2 leg pairs oriented towards their front. These are great for capturing and overpowering prey, at the mouth of their burrow. Their numbers 3 and 4 leg pairs are oriented to the side and the rear, respectively. This allows the spider to grip the sides of the tunnel to support the tarantula on those two pair while they use their first two pair for prey. This allows them to hoist up their prey and drag them down into their burrow to consume. They have urticating hairs, like most New World Tarantulas. Theirs is more highly adapted to tunnel life as they also have them on their pedipalps. They can throw urticating hairs at a threat they are facing, while they defend their burrow. True Skeleton Tarantulas get their name for their gorgeous high contrast jet black base color on their legs with bright white “boning” stripes going down the center of their length. These tunnel dwellers are rarely seen on the surface of their habitat. That is why it seams so special when you actually do see them out, like I did with Miss Esquelita on the day I took these photos. I hope you find her as beautiful as I do.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Psalmopoeus victori is known as the Darth Maul Tarantula. It got that name from the striking, high contrast black and red "hairs" (setae) that make this tarantula look so exciting. This individual is just starting to grow into its adult colors.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Meet Betty White Knee! Betty is a Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula, Acanthoscurria geniculata. Her kind comes from the Amazon basin of northern Brazil. Her species was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871, but were not popular in the Tarantula Keeping Hobby until around 25 years ago. The genus name, “Acanthoscurria” comes from Greek words meaning "spine" and "to run". This reflects the spiny appearance and agile movements of these tarantulas. The word geniculata comes from the Latin word geniculum, which is a diminutive of genu meaning "knee". Geniculata means "on bended knee". This reflects both the typical stance of this tarantula as well as the bright white epaulettes on the “knees”, also known as the patellas. Betty is generally a very tolerant and confident tarantula, often seen out and about in her habitat. We expect to have her for quite some time to come, due to her 20+ year life span! We will keep you updated on Betty as she grows, molts, or breeds again.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Everybody loves a blue spider!! One of the most famous and desirable of the many blue tarantulas is the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula (Peocilotheria metallica). This spider is always breathtaking to behold. High contrast blacks and whites blend perfectly into the iridescent blues and canary yellow. This is not a subtle spider. When it first hit popularity in the US, almost 20 years ago, ¾” spiderlings were selling for $250!! That was if you could even find one to buy. Luckily, since then, enough people have bred enough of these spiders for the price to become much more reasonable. This is not a spider for the beginner. It is intolerant of conditions other than those similar to its southeast asian rainforests. While no tarantula has venom that has ever killed a human, this tarantula has medically significant venom and could probably wreck your whole week. Even so, with proper care and caution, these amazing tarantulas make incredible display animals.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Tarantula courtship can be a scary thing for the male. In tarantula courtship, there is a fine line between being a dinner date and just plain being dinner. Once the male is mature, he leaves his nice safe burrow and skitters out into the open night to find a lady. Once he finds her, he knocks on her door to let her know that he is there and would like to not get eaten. He does this by tapping his legs near the opening of her burrow. He is careful to do this close enough for her to feel his taps and know that he is strong enough to tap loudly, but far enough away to make a break for it if she decides that he would make a better breakfast than boyfriend. Here we see a mature male Pumpkin Patch Tarantula (Hapalopus formosus) in exactly that same predicament. He almost got in the door, seen in this picture, when she chased him out. I tell you, there was a hole in space where that little spider was. That little guy teleported into the catch cup. He lived to court another day. By the way, notice that she is easily 4 to 5 times his size.