Gravid L. malayanus? Need Advice!

[8+)]

Awhile back I posted some pics of my male L. malayanus. Well, this girl looks like she's gravid for sure!

Only problem is why is she out of her burrow?! I'm not sure what to do. She's in a communal enclosure and I'm wondering if I should set her up in a separate one? I know little is known about breeding these, but any input would be helpful. I can't imagine them not normally making their sac in their burrows in the wild.

 

[lucanidae]

Mine did the same thing....then died. Sorry, better luck to you!

 

[Pulk]

Mine did the same thing....then died. Sorry, better luck to you!

If that happens, cut her open, mix the sperm and eggs, and make test tube slings.

 

[8+)]

I think the sperm mixing has already been done!

lucanidae, did you have yours housed separately, and then just left her in that same enclosure? Was yours gravid?

 

[cacoseraph]

I think the sperm mixing has already been done!

lucanidae, did you have yours housed separately, and then just left her in that same enclosure? Was yours gravid?

in tarantulas the sperm isn't mixed with the eggs until the eggs are being added to the eggsac. part of deferred reproduction

 

[8+)]

Of course! :wall:

Not that these are tarantulas, or even mygalomorphs, but it would have to be assumed they do it the same way.

 

[UrbanJungles]

I would definitely seperate her, take advantage of the fact that she's out and about. It will just make monitoring her easier and prevent any chance of predation from conspecifics!


Or you could just send her to me!!!

 

[8+)]

Well I was ready to separate her, but today she's back in her burrow! Hoping for the best...

 

[lucanidae]

Awesome. Mine had it's own cage, and was mated, so possibly gravid. She died big and rotted quickly....I was really sad. Glad to hear yours is back where she belongs....I'll be hoping for your success!

 

[Iggy]

Found a great source of information on Liphistiidae

Joachim Haupt wrote a monograph that was titled: The Mesothelae- a monograph of an exceptional group of spiders (Araneae: Mesothelae) (Morphology, behavior, ecology, taxonomy, distribution and phylogeny)
This was published by E. Schweizerbart Publishing in Germany in 2003 in 'Zoologica, Heft 154'
102 pages 62 figures 11 tables, very informative if you can find a copy at a library or you can order a copy from the publisher.
Just wanted to pass this on, Iggy

 

[8+)]

Iggy I really need to get that paper! Do you have a good source for it?

Well this girl has gone in and out several times and last night I looked, and she was out with a another girl right next to her! I really couldn't tell which was which, because the other one is just as fat!

Today only one of the girls is out and the male is no where to be found. I thought last night he was on his last leg (he actually has shed one leg!), but maybe he's shacking up!

I noticed a difference in behavior with the second group I have: They have worked on their enclosures. I know this because I can see the dirt they've flung out. The others never did this. they just built their doors and webbed the holes.

Several variables are different, so I'm not sure what prompted the change: 1) This time I only used organic potting soil as opposed to soil topped with coconut coir. 2) I funneled them right into their holes, rather than letting them find them on their own, and 3) It's cooler in my basement this time of year.

 

[Iggy]

The only source that I have found for his paper unfortunately is the publisher is Germany.
As far as the dirt flinging that you are seeing, all of mine do that as well(both L. malayanus and L. murphyorum). They seem to be well and good in their burrows and after a month to 6 weeks suddenly there are piles of substrate in their enclosures. This will go on for a week or 2 then it will taper off to nothing and start up again a while later. This seem to be from them digging deeper and other branches to their burrows. I have a L. murphyorum that dug down and had 3 off shoot tunnels from its main burrow. I noticed them when I had to dig it out to re-house it in a larger enclosure. I think that they work in sections, like they will start a burrow down say 2-4 inches and get a good door and trip lines and then work on webbing the interior to their liking. When that section is finished they do some more work branching out and or down depending, and so on and so on. That is just pure speculation on my part as I have not tried to prove that theory with any kind of good documentation though.
I don't think that it has much to do with soil type or temperature either, mine have excavated when it was hot and some are doing now as it is cool and with a variety of trial substrates that I experimented with before putting all of them on a 1 to 1 to 1 mix of sphagnum peat moss, coconut coir, and coarse vermiculite. Hope this helps a little, this is what I have seen these creatures do. Cheers Iggy