Some Recent Tarantula Shots

Long time no posting, so here's some recent tarantula shots for the fans of the 8 legged creeps...!

Moulted a few weeks ago, Psalmopoeus pulcher/ Panama Blond


Psalmopoeus pulcher post-moult shots


Psalmopoeus pulcher post-moult shots - forelegs


Psalmopoeus pulcher post-moult shots - DLS 100mm


P. pulcher's new enclosure

Next up, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens/ Greenbottle Blue M.M


C. cyaneopubescens - MM


C. cyaneopubescens - MM, carapace detail


C. cyaneopubescens - MM, pedipalp detail


C. cyaneopubescens - MM, tibial spur detail

As you can see, this T hooked out a few weeks ago, final DLS 4.5-4.75". This one is now residing in Scotland and will be part of a breeding project; he's in very good hands over there.



Also moulted a few weeks back was this Avicularia versicolor/ Antilles Pinktoe. Confirmed female


A. versicolor - Female, Post-Moult (apx 100mm DLS)

Last up, 1 of 2 Cyriopagopus schioedtei/ Malaysian Earth Tiger slings I picked up. I am happy to have got some of these...!


C. schioedtei sling - 20-25mm LS

And a photo of a setup I had prepared for the GBB, needs a new occupant now...!


Naturalistic T Enclosure

great shots and fantastic looking spiders Matt.

Phil wrote:great shots and fantastic looking spiders Matt.

Cheers Phil glad you liked them mate, some fantastic species among this lot...! More shots to come soon enough!

I had a look at your site there, really looks the part. Great layout and great pictures too

Thanks Matt

Superb shots as always! They are all smashing but loving the little Earth Tiger

Cracking T's Matt, and the set-ups are some of the best I've seen - you have an artistic streak for sure! The photos are awesome as always....especially liking the macro of the GBB pedipalps!

Tan wrote:Superb shots as always! They are all smashing but loving the little Earth Tiger

Thanks very much Tan! Yeah really like those little slings, although I see little of them! Classic case of arboreals that like to burrow as slings, really creative with combining webbing and digging to make these cool tunnels.!

morelia wrote:Cracking T's Matt, and the set-ups are some of the best I've seen - you have an artistic streak for sure! The photos are awesome as always....especially liking the macro of the GBB pedipalps!

Thanks a lot Karl, I made that really natural one for the GBB as a final enclosure, but then he moulted out as a MM, so I sent him off for a 50-50 breeding project to a keeper in Scotland. The T arrived safely, but unfortunately died son after after having a post-ultimate moult. I knew little of that phenomenon before then. If I didn't know of the keeper's very good reputation, I might have smelled a rat!


I've a good few more shots to add here, so bit of a photo-avalanche on the way!

A. versicolor & P. pulcher feeding photos


versi tank, back view


versi feeding 1


versi feeding 2


pulcher feeding 1


pulcher feeding 2


pulchr feeding 4


and one caught midway into a sudden flurry of movement as the cricket put up one last struggle...!!

pulcher feeding frenzy

A. geroldi - SA male - moulted early April


Avic. geroldi moulted exuvium


Avicularia geroldi - SA male


Avicularia geroldi - SA male

and a more recent one, from last week

A, geroldi SA male

Some A. versicolor updates also, may as well add them as well! - SA female


versicolor macro


Avic. versicolor female


Avic. versicolor female macro


Avic. versicolor female - macro

P. murinus (RCF) AF & MM...

First up, the female OBT - After a long stint underground, she finally emerged, having moulted about 10-12 weeks back ( no precise moulting date, as she was well underground ad well sealed off ); no hooks/ clubbed palps = happy days! She is 4.5" min, could be close to 5 inch DLS.
Herpalist has this T tipped as female a long time back, on the money Paul!.


Pterinochilus murinus RCF


P. murinus - adult female


P. murinus resurfaces

I needed a tarantula to put in that tank that was going spare now, so when I got the chance to take this MM OBT, it was a no-brainer...!



P. murinus MM - DLS: apx 105mm/ 4 inches


OBT MM

P. murinus (RCF) pairing pics

Now, these two are actually sac-mates (from Tony W's haul of OBTs last year), but myself and the previous owner of the now MM decided to pair them; after reading up as much as I could from viable sources, and asking some T gurus, I have not heard anyone speak out strongly against it, except in prolonged cases, over several generations.

The MM OBT (moulted 12-13 April) was given about 10 days to settle in , he fed once, webbed up, and on the advice of another keeper, I added some of the female's old skin and webbing to the MM's enclosure to see how he responded. Initially no reaction, but after 4 days, a pretty positive response.


Setting a lure...


mm obt inspecting the female's webbng

I was pretty sure he'd loaded up his palps, so when he began thoroughly inspecting the female's webbing, I'm said he's ready to be introduced to the female's tank now. He was . I removed all unnecessary decor from the female's viv, and introduced the MM.


Here are some pairing pics from 30/04/12


OBT encounter


Exchanging drum solos


Good first date


Dr. OBT in session


The female was very receptive towards the male, and at least 2 insertions were made, and I suspect more, he definitely got a couple of turns on her before she retreated down the burrow, and could have already made an insertion by the time I saw they'd discovered one another...

She eventually backed off down her burrow, and any attempts the male made to follow, he soon got the message not to; he was better off backing off after that as she was getting highly defensive.

I'm going to see how the male fares being left in there for a couple of days - she has retreated underground and he is roaming around; it is a big tank and I've prepared an area with some of his webbing, were he has now settled and webbed up again. No more matings witnessed, although there may well have been.

The OBTs have been separated, and the MM returned to the owner. The female has sealed herself off underground, although that is not indicative of her being gravid, she does that often I am confident enough she'll drop a sac in due course.

Here's a shot of a little C. darlingi sling I picked up last week. DLS apx. 30mm

C. darlingi - 30mm DLS

BEST OF LUCK MATT.

Phil wrote:BEST OF LUCK MATT.

Cheers Phil, hopefully it goes well now! Not as much attention to detail required for these OBTs to reproduce as the good ol' boas though!
Cheers