Latrodectus dahli

Christoffer

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Got what I'm told is 2.1 Latrodectus dahli. Can't find any info on them online. Anyone know what the male looks like when he's mature? Will try breeding them.
 

pannaking22

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Just keep an eye on the mal's pedipalps. When they're swollen balls, he should be good to go. You can try adding a bit of the female's web to his enclosure and if he starts webbing it up that can be another sign. I'm speaking of widows in general, but those are good starts I think.
 

Christoffer

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Just keep an eye on the mal's pedipalps. When they're swollen balls, he should be good to go. You can try adding a bit of the female's web to his enclosure and if he starts webbing it up that can be another sign. I'm speaking of widows in general, but those are good starts I think.
Thank you :) I'm just scared the dahli don't have the same "tells" as many other Latrodectus. Haven't found ANY information on them.
 

Newflvr

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Just keep an eye on the mal's pedipalps. When they're swollen balls, he should be good to go. You can try adding a bit of the female's web to his enclosure and if he starts webbing it up that can be another sign. I'm speaking of widows in general, but those are good starts I think.
Above is a partial truth. The pedipalps will swell some = pre sub adult male, Second stage palps swell to round balls = sub adult male, Third stage palps stay swollen and darken and complete transition to mature male.
 

pannaking22

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Above is a partial truth. The pedipalps will swell some = pre sub adult male, Second stage palps swell to round balls = sub adult male, Third stage palps stay swollen and darken and complete transition to mature male.
Thanks for the clarification :) I've had a harder time with some of my male curacaviensis males since they either have had different coloration as they got older and matured or I had one mature a molt early.
 

Christoffer

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Okay so maybe my male isn't mature then? That's probably why he is sh*tscared of the female. (Tried mating them yesterday and he lives with here now haha!

Took some pictures too
Male



Sub adult female




Adult female



1.1
 

Beary Strange

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Wow, the adult female is lovely. I like how her 'abdomen' is matte, almost velvety and you can still see remnants of the pattern.
 

pannaking22

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Very pretty spiders! I'd say that if the male wasn't trying too hard to mate he wasn't ready, but I could be wrong. Keep a close eye on them and let us know if you see any courtship/mating behavior!
 

Christoffer

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Been living with her for 2 days. Havent seen anything. Probably not mature then. She doesnt seem to mind him being there tho! Almost would like to see if he can live there and mature in her cage. But I only have one male, so I'll take him out and see if he needs another molt or 2.
Very nice spiders, yes! IMO one of the prettiest widows I've seen!
 

pannaking22

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Certainly can't hurt to take him out if you haven't seen anything. My male L. curacaviensis was able to stay with the female until he died of old age, so females will certainly tolerate having the males around (provided they are well fed I think).
 

Christoffer

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Certainly can't hurt to take him out if you haven't seen anything. My male L. curacaviensis was able to stay with the female until he died of old age, so females will certainly tolerate having the males around (provided they are well fed I think).
She doesn't seem to mind at ALL. Pretty cool as I thought female widows hated males from all the stuff I've heard haha. She did eat a moth wich was pretty big tho. Maybe she's just too full to bother eating him.. yet.. I'll take him out tomorrow
 

pannaking22

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Yeah, that's always been the story that floats around, but females seem to actually be very receptive of males and won't try to eat them right away. There are some species where the females may be a bit more aggressive towards the males, but I don't really think that's the norm. If Widowman sees this he should be able to provide more info.
 

Malhavoc's

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Widows are hardly male eaters, Cool fact I reado n these forums a few years ago is that sometimes they males will cohabitate with immature females to mate with them immediately after their adult molt, I find most cob web spiders are a bit more tolerant of neighbours then other spiders.
 

Em the bug

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I love Latrodectus species. Such beautiful spiders. I wish I could keep them here, but being in the UK I would need the DWA licence :cry:

Great photos, btw.
 

Christoffer

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Widows are hardly male eaters, Cool fact I reado n these forums a few years ago is that sometimes they males will cohabitate with immature females to mate with them immediately after their adult molt, I find most cob web spiders are a bit more tolerant of neighbours then other spiders.
Yeah i've heard that too. But in this case the male seems to be the one who's not mature quite yet.

I love Latrodectus species. Such beautiful spiders. I wish I could keep them here, but being in the UK I would need the DWA licence :cry:

Great photos, btw.
Thanks a lot:) Very pleased with the quality of iphone 6+ photos. (Provided you have good lighting).
 

Widowman10

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Been living with her for 2 days. Havent seen anything. Probably not mature then. She doesnt seem to mind him being there tho! Almost would like to see if he can live there and mature in her cage.
If he did not get after it soon (let alone within 2 days), then he's most likely not mature yet. But, in the presence of a receptive female, he may molt very soon.

Widows are hardly male eaters, Cool fact I reado n these forums a few years ago is that sometimes they males will cohabitate with immature females to mate with them immediately after their adult molt, I find most cob web spiders are a bit more tolerant of neighbours then other spiders.
They will cohabit with the immature female, but they will sometimes mate with her before her adult molt! Very interesting behavior- mating with an immature female. Male knows what he's doing though, that's for sure!! So cool. :D
 

awiec

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Smokehound714

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As far as I know, only the redbacks and 'katipos' from australia/NZ engage in sexual cannibalism. The female actually doesnt actively kill the male, either- he'll literally force her to eat him by pushing his abdomen into her chelicerae! Though a gravid hungry female is a different story :p
 
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