Josh's Frogs' Tarantula Photo Thread

[Josh's Frogs]

The Togo Starburst Tarantula is known scientifically as Heteroscodra maculatum and comes from the Togolese Republic in West Africa. They start out their life’s journey as little fuzzy brown spiders. As they grow, they slowly shed the brown for a crisp, high contrast black, white, and gray pattern as adult females. I found this young female, immediately after a molt. I knew, as soon as I saw her, that she had undergone the last molt before achieving her adult color and pattern. I gave her a week before I snapped this picture of her full, adult glory!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

A shy spider?!? Believe it or not, tarantulas are actually very shy creatures. Under normal circumstances, there is not much that would cause a tarantula to stray far from its burrow or nest. They are “sit and wait” predators that prefer patience and safety to the risks of seeking out their food in the dangerous wide world. Most are quick to dive into their hiding places at any sign of danger. Here we have Tofu, a Metallic Pink Toe Tarantula (Avicularia avicularia Morphotype 6), looking kinda shy in this pic. Her body language, hiding her eyes behind her frontmost legs (pedipalps), is very similar to a young child hiding her face behind long hair when she feels shy. I think she looks cute!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Ceratogyrus marshalli is known as the Straight Horned Baboon. Like a few other closely related species, they have a protrusion extending up from their carapace, where most other tarantulas have a divet, called the fovea. Biologists do not agree on why they have it or what purpose it may serve. Many people are impressed by the bright, flashy colors that can be found on many of the most popular species. However, fans of this species seem to appreciate the tones and patterns that can be found on this tarantula. With dappled spots on their abdomen and radiating striations on its carapace in tones of brown and bronze, it is easy to see why this handsome species has been popular for the last two decades!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Colombian Purple and Gold Tarantula also known as Pseudhapalopus sp. 'Colombia' is rumored to be found in the rainforests along the Pacific coast of Colombia. This diminutive beauty tops out at less than four inches in diagonal leg span. Their size is no measure of their value, however, because of their metallic golden and purple coloration. The Theraphosid Research Team, on Arachnoboards.com, made a good case for why this species will be reassigned to the genus Spinosatibiapalpus when it finally gets properly taxonified. If you look them up on Arachnoboards, I think you will find that they wrote an interesting article on the subject.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

A while back I shared pics of Bagheera, one of our Brazilian Blue Tarantulas (Lasiocyano sazimai) right after a molt and referred to him with a generic female pronoun. This is a common practice when keepers are referring to their unsexed tarantulas. I had several sharp eyed keepers point out something that I had missed when taking those pics. That was that Bagheera was not only a male, he had molted into his mature form! Once he had finished sclerotizing he started forming sperm webs to load his emboli. These are special glands that develop on mature males on the end of their pedipalps and are used to deliver their genetic material. The male has to encounter the female head on, lift her up, and deliver his genetic material to the back half of her underside. All the while, he has her fangs dangling over his head like the Sword of Damacles. Here we see Bagheera doing just that with his new girlfriend, Baloo! Hopefully they give us a sac full of precious little babies that will grow into living sapphires in their own time. Wish them luck!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Meet Mary, a Venezuelan Suntiger Tarantula (Psalmopoeus irminia), who lives at Josh’s Frogs as a member of the breeding team. She was born here. She was up for sale along with the sac-mates from her sac and two other P irminias that sac’ed out that year. For that reason, she was still here a year later and she still hadn’t sold. I had about two dozen of her siblings left, counting her. She had grown to nearly 2 ½ inches in that time. That is about half the size and age generally associated with maturity in her species. I point that out because, despite that, I looked into her habitat and found her carrying a tiny egg sac! She had never been paired with a male, so it was guaranteed to not be fertile. It was also a fraction of the size of an egg sac that an adult P irminia would lay. Still I was so impressed with her drive to become a mother that I adopted her into the breeding team right away! She is coming up on three years old now. She will get an opportunity to be a mother, the next time we get a mature male in. Even if she was in a rush to grow up and be a mother, we wanted her body to finish maturing before moving into that next stage in her life. She is an absolute stunner!! I think she will make beautiful babies!!!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The Peruvian Orange Striped tarantula, Lasiodorides striatus, so named for the fetching orange stripes on its knees, is a larger terrestrial, New World tarantula native to Peru, although some cursory research suggests that it may be found in other South American countries as well. Its scientific name has Greek and Latin roots meaning “shaggy, odorous and striated". We can vouch for the shaggy and striated parts, but we advise against bringing your face close enough for a good whiff!

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

Meet Mary, a Venezuelan Suntiger Tarantula (Psalmopoeus irminia), who lives at Josh’s Frogs as a member of the breeding team. She was born here. She was up for sale along with the sac-mates from her sac and two other P irminias that sac’ed out that year. For that reason, she was still here a year later and she still hadn’t sold. I had about two dozen of her siblings left, counting her. She had grown to nearly 2 ½ inches in that time. That is about half the size and age generally associated with maturity in her species. I point that out because, despite that, I looked into her habitat and found her carrying a tiny egg sac! She had never been paired with a male, so it was guaranteed to not be fertile. It was also a fraction of the size of an egg sac that an adult P irminia would lay. Still I was so impressed with her drive to become a mother that I adopted her into the breeding team right away! She is coming up on three years old now. She will get an opportunity to be a mother, the next time we get a mature male in. Even if she was in a rush to grow up and be a mother, we wanted her body to finish maturing before moving into that next stage in her life. She is an absolute stunner!! I think she will make beautiful babies!!!
View attachment 77256

Must be sumpin wit Psalmopeous and phantom sacs! My Ecclesiasticus has dropped 2 and my Emeraldus 2 as well! Ecclesiasticus has sealed herself off and is either molting or saccing again!! Lol,lol.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The Mexican Rose Tarantula, known scientifically as Aphonopelma pallidum, is a north American tarantula from the highlands of Chihuahua, in central Mexico. This is a slow growing and long lived species that can take a decade to mature and could live as long as thirty years. Their attractive, pale coloration allows them to blend into their native habitat like a ninja!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The Mozambique Golden Baboon is known scientifically as Augacephalus ezendami. The genus name, Augacephalus, comes from Greek roots meaning "sun rays" and "head," referring to the prominent carapace striations on this spider. The species name, ezendami, is a patronym honoring Thomas Ezendam, who provided numerous tarantula specimens to the person who named this tarantula. Therefore, the name Augacephalus ezendami essentially means "Ezendam's sun-rayed head". I think maybe something gets lost in the translation. ‍‍‍

 

[Tarantula Trooper]

A shy spider?!? Believe it or not, tarantulas are actually very shy creatures. Under normal circumstances, there is not much that would cause a tarantula to stray far from its burrow or nest. They are “sit and wait” predators that prefer patience and safety to the risks of seeking out their food in the dangerous wide world. Most are quick to dive into their hiding places at any sign of danger. Here we have Tofu, a Metallic Pink Toe Tarantula (Avicularia avicularia Morphotype 6), looking kinda shy in this pic. Her body language, hiding her eyes behind her frontmost legs (pedipalps), is very similar to a young child hiding her face behind long hair when she feels shy. I think she looks cute!
View attachment 77187

Have a story about spoods staying house oriented! Before the rehouse one of my Chilobrachys Fimbriatus kicked the top off her enclosure not once but twice!!! And never strayed from her webbed castle!! Hence the rehouse..lol

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Tarantulas are the masters of patience. There is not much that can lure them very far from the safety of their burrow. They wait for their food to come to them. The females stay home and wait for their males to come to them. I thought this excerpt from John Burroughs' poem, “Waiting”, described their lifestyle quite elegantly. I superimposed it over a picture of one of our Guatemalan Tiger Rump Tarantulas (Davus pentaloris), passing her time, waiting for life to come to her on her terms.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The spider known scientifically as Avicularia juruensis has had a confusing history for the last 100 years. Avicularia juruensis was initially described by Mello-Leitão in 1923 as being from the Juruá River region of Brazil. In 1994 it was identified as Avicularia urticans by Schmidt based on specimens from Peru. In 2017, Fukushima and Bertani synonymized A. urticans with A. juruensis, recognizing two distinct morphotypes within the species. Morphotype 1 was primarily found along the Rio Juruá drainage. It includes spiders previously described (or misidentified) as Avicularia Sp pucallpa, Avicularia urticans “green”, Avicularia aurantiaca, and even Avicularia ulrichea. This morphotype has a faint green sheen to their carapace and femurs. Morphotype 2 is more widespread from Manaus to the Amazon's headwaters in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia. Particularly as subadult juveniles, they have a faint purple sheen when the light hits them just right. Here are two specimens that I am raising here at Josh’s Frogs. I will post more pictures as they mature to highlight the differences between these two morphotypes of Avicularia juruensis.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

The Purple Beauty Birdeater Tarantula is known scientifically as Phormictopus Sp. “Dominican Purple”. The scientific name is written that way because it has not been properly taxonified. It is thought to belong to the genus Phormictopus. The Sp. stand for “Species”. When a species is undescribed, they will often be named according to where they are from or the color, which explains the “Dominican Purple” part. They are from the Dominican Republic and sport an iridescent purple that the Joker himself would have been proud of. They can be found in semitropical rocky areas in silken retreats beneath and around those rocks. Purple Beauty Birdeater Tarantulas can grow to 7 to 8 inches and can be quick to become defensive. All in all, this is one impressive tarantula!

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Aphonopelma bicoloratum is commonly known as the Mexican Blood Leg Tarantula. This slow growing species from scrublands of South Western Mexico can take five to eight years to reach their full size of four to five inches, but can live twenty five to thirty years. Combine this with a gentle nature and the hardiness of a desert survivalist and this is a great spider for beginners.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Avicularia merianae is also known as the Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula. It is named after a pioneering naturalist and artist from the late 17th century named Maria Sibylla Merian. She is famous for her detailed illustrations of Surinamese insects, including one showing a tarantula eating a bird. This illustration, initially met with skepticism, later became the basis for the common name "Bird Eating Tarantula" and the genus name, Avicularia, which literally translates Bird Eater.

 

[Josh's Frogs]

Xenesthis sp. 'Megascopula' does not have a widely accepted common name. They have been called the Colombian Lesser Black 'Megascopula'. One of the bigger online breeders has suggested the name, “Massive Fluffy Giant” which we love! Like the closely related Xenesthis species, they grow into intensely iridescent patterns on their carapace. Once the males mature, they are even more intensely colored! Here we have a picture of one of our one inch babies as well as an adult female Xenesthis Sp ‘Bright’ that this little gal will grow to look very similar to.