Calommata signata

[MoranDisciple]

Does anyone have these for sale in the US? There isn't the amount of info about this species that they deserve. I just find them to be so fascinating due to their incredible, unique morphology and hunting style. They're not a trapdoor and not a purseweb. I assume their care is identical to trapdoors, but if you own one and want to let me know about any quirks they have please let me know! (I'm looking at you, @basin79 ).

 

[basin79]

Does anyone have these for sale in the US? There isn't the amount of info about this species that they deserve. I just find them to be so fascinating due to their incredible, unique morphology and hunting style. They're not a trapdoor and not a purseweb. I assume their care is identical to trapdoors, but if you own one and want to let me know about any quirks they have please let me know! (I'm looking at you, @basin79 ).

I don't really see anything of mine. Just pop a cricket in with them and it's gone. I could lure my original 1 out at first but she won't fall for it anymore.

 

[basin79]

Not sure if you've already seen these @MoranDisciple.

Skip to 30 seconds.

Skip to 23 seconds.

 

[Arthroverts]

I am looking to try and import some, but the place I contacted hasn't gotten back to me about doing it legally.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Jabberjay]

Does anyone have these for sale in the US? There isn't the amount of info about this species that they deserve. I just find them to be so fascinating due to their incredible, unique morphology and hunting style. They're not a trapdoor and not a purseweb. I assume their care is identical to trapdoors, but if you own one and want to let me know about any quirks they have please let me know! (I'm looking at you, @basin79 ).

They are pursewebs, belonging to Atypidae, but their webs aren't like those of other Atypidae members. Fascinating nonetheless.

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

I recently got two of these (they're native to Korea and there is one breeder who works with them) and haven't seen them at all since they were housed in their enclosures. They haven't even eaten at all, and I'm starting to wonder if they've died for whatever reason.

 

[Jabberjay]

I recently got two of these (they're native to Korea and there is one breeder who works with them) and haven't seen them at all since they were housed in their enclosures. They haven't even eaten at all, and I'm starting to wonder if they've died for whatever reason.

How long have they gone without food?

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

How long have they gone without food?

At least since they were shipped to me.

They were pretty plump when I got them so I doubt they'd have starved, but still.

 

[Jabberjay]

At least since they were shipped to me.

They were pretty plump when I got them so I doubt they'd have starved, but still.

Out of curiosity, how long has it been since you ordered them and since you received them?

What are the likely causes of this behavior, stress induced by temperature, humidity, substrate, food options, illness, or something else?

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

Shipped out on July 19, arrived on July 20.

What are the likely causes of this behavior, stress induced by temperature, humidity, substrate, food options, illness, or something else?

Honestly I can't think of anything besides shipping/rehouse-related stress, though this is the first time when I've had an invert be stressed out for weeks.

Substrate is the same as what they'd been kept in previously, so I doubt that's a factor. Maybe humidity, but C. signata isn't an especially humidity-dependent species (the lower layers of sub are slightly moist, but the top is dry)

 

[Jabberjay]

Honestly I can't think of anything besides shipping/rehouse-related stress, though this is the first time when I've had an invert be stressed out for weeks.

Substrate is the same as what they'd been kept in previously, so I doubt that's a factor. Maybe humidity, but C. signata isn't an especially humidity-dependent species (the lower layers of sub are slightly moist, but the top is dry)

Understood. Very bizarre indeed. I thought all Atypidae members are relatively humidity-sensitive, in that they spend a great deal of time in burrows to avoid dehydration, among other things. I also recall reading that many species are pretty much always found near bodies of water; C. signata observations on inaturalist all occurred on coastal plains near bodies of water. It may be worth installing a soil moisture sensor (they're cheap) and incrementally increasing soil moisture content.

Another potential issue is substrate depth. An article I found on C. signata feeding behaviors (https://www.researchgate.net/public...web_spider_Calommata_signata_Atypidae_Araneae) observed 10 wild-caught individuals in 13.5cm-deep containers (although that wasn't necessarily 13.5cm of substrate). Obviously, there are other relevant variables, but the individuals didn't have feeding problems so that may serve as an ad hoc benchmark for substrate depth. I believe soil moisture content increases with depth, so the frequency with which moisture is added to your containers may be insufficient given the substrate's depth if your individuals are dehydrated. In general, I'd say a small amount of soil loses moisture faster than a large amount of soil because of the cube-square law. As dimension of an object increases, its volume increases cubically while its surface area increases by a square. So smaller objects have more surface area to volume. More surface area to volume means all sorts of things. It means the average temperature changes faster due to fluctuations in ambient temperature of the environment. It also means the moisture content changes faster due to changes in ambient temperature and humidity (which are interdependent). In other words, living in the wild means these spiders can live in places where a collection of soil has a comparatively small surface area (where it meets the open air) relative to its internal volume.

The article also observed the individuals eat a variety of prey (http://www.momo-p.com/index.php?movieid=momo080519cs01b&embed=on), which leaves some room for experimentation. However, it did mention the most common prey in excavated burrows were beetles, ants, and isopods.

Of course, this all assumes that your spiders are feeding less frequently than they should. I actually don't know how often it's supposed to be.

 

[MoranDisciple]

At least since they were shipped to me.

They were pretty plump when I got them so I doubt they'd have starved, but still.

Mine hadn’t eaten for a year, nor had I even seen it during that time so I eventually dug it up. Sadly I found her remains full of parasitic wasp eggs. This is a risk with wild caught spiders.

 

[CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy]

I did eventually dig up and rehouse my two. One has finally eaten since then, the other still hasn't.