Nephila senegalensis making an eggsack!

[aftershock]

I did my "morning round", checked out all of my inverts. I got a little shock and was a little excited, my free range Nephila senegalensis was doing an eggsack. I didn't think it was possible, because I haven't mated her and she molted the same say day I got her. Could it be fertile anyway? Could anyone give me som advice regarding the care of the eggsack. Humidity level, how long does it take until they hatch and so on...

I'm sorry for the lack of qualty of my picture, I will update with a few high quality pics later on today.

 

[Code Monkey]

Unless mated in the wild prior to being caught for your home free-range spider project the sac is infertile. I had a A. aurantia that did the same thing about 2 weeks before dying. I suspended the the eggsac in a large vial and crossed my fingers but after several months had passed opened it up to find nothing at all inside.

 

[Wade]

Since it molted after capture, there is no chance of the eggs being fertile, unless we're talking parthenogenesis.

Wade

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Wade
Since it molted after capture, there is no chance of the eggs being fertile, unless we're talking parthenogenesis.

Wade

Even better point, I missed the moult comment in the above post :8o

I am not aware of parthenogenesis in any true spider, ticks and mites are the only arachinids I know of that are able to do this.

 

[Wade]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
I am not aware of parthenogenesis in any true spider, ticks and mites are the only arachinids I know of that are able to do this.

I doubt it too, but I always throw it out there as a disclaimer. It would be pretty cool, though. I had some parthenogenic mantids once (Brunneria borealis). strange, but very interesting!

Wade

 

[Reitz]

Some scorpions are parthenogenic, so maybe there's hope.

Chris