Orphnaecus Blue Confusion/Mess

[Liquifin]

Orphnaecus is a very confusing genus for me. I have a Orphnaecus sp. Blue Quezon (or called Blue Lazon to others) with some beautiful blue color starting to show now at 3''-3.5''. Now the confusion comes from how many Orphnaecus blues there are in this hobby. So I would like to ask anyone to give information or identify the differences of these names or if they're the same species. This is not an ID thread, but rather a question trying to clear up the Orphnaecus "blue" mess for me. So pictures or information of any of these species down below will help try and help make clear of this mess. I'm at a point where I'm questioning if my O. sp. Blue Quezon (or Blue Lazon) is even what it is... @KezyGLA You can help explain this Orphnaecus "blue" stuff right??

The Orphnaecus species with Blue:
Orphnaecus sp. Antimonan Blue
Orphnaecus sp. Blue
Orphnaecus sp. Blue Panay
Orphnaecus sp. Blue Quezon/Blue Lazon (Same species but people use these two names for this species)

This is my Orphnaecus sp. Blue Quezon/Blue Lazon

 

[Arthroverts]

Beautiful tarantula! I am not well versed in Orphnaecus sp. taxonomy, but I am interested in seeing where this goes.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Harry Haller]

Orphnaecus is a very confusing genus for me. I have a Orphnaecus sp. Blue Quezon (or called Blue Lazon to others) with some beautiful blue color starting to show now at 3''-3.5''. Now the confusion comes from how many Orphnaecus blues there are in this hobby. So I would like to ask anyone to give information or identify the differences of these names or if they're the same species. This is not an ID thread, but rather a question trying to clear up the Orphnaecus "blue" mess for me. So pictures or information of any of these species down below will help try and help make clear of this mess. I'm at a point where I'm questioning if my O. sp. Blue Quezon (or Blue Lazon) is even what it is... @KezyGLA You can help explain this Orphnaecus "blue" stuff right??

The Orphnaecus species with Blue:
Orphnaecus sp. Antimonan Blue
Orphnaecus sp. Blue
Orphnaecus sp. Blue Panay
Orphnaecus sp. Blue Quezon/Blue Lazon (Same species but people use these two names for this species)

This is my Orphnaecus sp. Blue Quezon/Blue Lazon
View attachment 318545

Beautiful picture!
I also would like to know more about this genus. Orphnaecus, Phlogiellus... seems to be many undescribed species. Every island have their own variant and naming is not always very clear with sellers come up with their own "fancy" name.

Take your T in the picture for example, Luzon (the island) and Quezon (a province on the very same island), is there a difference in the Orphnaecus or just sellers want to differentiate themselves? Sure, a very small area can inhabit something different, but is it the case here? I have, for example, the Orphnaecus sp. Marindoque, supposedly from the island with the same name. Then there's a "Marindoque purple" and recently I see one seller having "Marindoque light purple". Probably all those 3 are the same, but how to be certain? All those different labels just add to the confusion if no further information is provided.

 

[Liquifin]

Beautiful picture!
I also would like to know more about this genus. Orphnaecus, Phlogiellus... seems to be many undescribed species. Every island have their own variant and naming is not always very clear with sellers come up with their own "fancy" name.

Take your T in the picture for example, Luzon (the island) and Quezon (a province on the very same island), is there a difference in the Orphnaecus or just sellers want to differentiate themselves? Sure, a very small area can inhabit something different, but is it the case here? I have, for example, the Orphnaecus sp. Marindoque, supposedly from the island with the same name. Then there's a "Marindoque purple" and recently I see one seller having "Marindoque light purple". Probably all those 3 are the same, but how to be certain? All those different labels just add to the confusion if no further information is provided.

The whole genus is a mess, so you're basically in the same spot as I am. Many hunters/collectors caught the same species but used different names which kind of got the genus/species into question.

An example: Two hunters/collectors caught the same spiders from the same area, from the same locality. But the twist is that one collector called it Orphnaecus sp. blue quezon and the other Orphnaecus sp. blue lazon or luzon. While they may be the exact same species, the names they went by gave the confusion once exported/imported into another country. I won't say that "it's" the reason, but rather, one of the reasons why it's like this, other species in genus are just unsubscribed, missed identified, or something else. At the end of the day there are a lot of reasons we just don't know.

 

[Harry Haller]

We should start a crowdfunding project to clear the mess in this beautiful, and somehow, mysterious, genus. If I had the knowledge I would do it, but unfortunately I don't and I can only offer my time. But it would be fun
Oh... silly me, dreaming of an adventure again...haha

 

[JackieB]

You

We should start a crowdfunding project to clear the mess in this beautiful, and somehow, mysterious, genus. If I had the knowledge I would do it, but unfortunately I don't and I can only offer my time. But it would be fun
Oh... silly me, dreaming of an adventure again...haha

I know this is an old post. Sorry to zombie it, but you just made my day! I'm typing up my dissertation plan.
Do you mind if I use your post for my proposal? Thank you in advance!

 

[SonsofArachne]

I

Orphnaecus is a very confusing genus for me

I recently went through the same thing so the confusion continues. Besides the Blue Quezon/Blue Lazon thing (which, according to most of what I read, are probably the same thing) I've seen some confusion with Blue and Blue Panay, with people thinking that they are the same thing (which they may be, I'm confused on this point too).

 

[CEC]

TMK Quezon/Luzon/Atimonan are all the same...
O. sp. Panay Blue was the first to hit the western hobby and has a different look, more gray, only slightly blue fresh from molt. At the time sp. Panay had no rivals so many keepers just simply labeled them 'sp. Blue' but since the introduction of the Quezon/Luzon/Atimonan, some people just simply label those sp. 'Blue'. Lol