So what's up with B. albopilosum?

MissHarlen

Arachnosquire
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Jan 14, 2014
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89
I've read a lot of discourse on here about B. albopilosum. Especially regarding the difference between hobby, Honduran, and Nicaraguan forms. So what is the difference and why are some people so riled up about it?
 

sasker

Arachnoprince
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Oct 9, 2016
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1,091
Well, the hobby form is an impure mud, a cross-bred tarantula with B. vagans mixed in (and perhaps some other Brachys, who knows). They are the tarantula that many people start with and the ones that you see most often in the pet trade. If it doesn't say 'true' B. albopilosum or something, this is what you will get as a freebie or when you order one.

I don't know the difference between 'Honduran' and 'Nicaraguan' albos (apart from the location they come from, me thinks), but pure B. albopilosum are much hairier than the hobby form. Just Google a picture and you will see what I mean.
 

mconnachan

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
1,240
The difference between Honduran and Nicaraguan is quite apparent to look at each specimen, the Honduran B. albo is less striking than the Nicaraguan which has golden/white setae, which the Honduran B. albo lacks, it has less noticeable colouration. As for hobby form - this is an assumption but to me it seems as though the hobby form is a hybrid of both species, don't quote me on this but I'm sure that is the main difference with the hobby form. Now the reason folks are riled about it - when you have a pure bred species, you want to keep it that way, but there's some people in the hobby who couldn't care less - hence the cross breeding and in turn hybrids. Now I'm sure someone will chip in with more knowledge on the whole sorry affair and point out certain criteria I've missed but i'm sure these are the main points to your question, as more hobby form B. albo's become gravid the more the gene pool becomes muddied.
 

MissHarlen

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
Messages
89
The difference between Honduran and Nicaraguan is quite apparent to look at each specimen, the Honduran B. albo is less striking than the Nicaraguan which has golden/white setae, which the Honduran B. albo lacks, it has less noticeable colouration. As for hobby form - this is an assumption but to me it seems as though the hobby form is a hybrid of both species, don't quote me on this but I'm sure that is the main difference with the hobby form. Now the reason folks are riled about it - when you have a pure bred species, you want to keep it that way, but there's some people in the hobby who couldn't care less - hence the cross breeding and in turn hybrids. Now I'm sure someone will chip in with more knowledge on the whole sorry affair and point out certain criteria I've missed but i'm sure these are the main points to your question, as more hobby form B. albo's become gravid the more the gene pool becomes muddied.
Makes sense to me. Thanks! I myself am an advocate of keeping species pure in the hobby, especially as more Theraphosids become endangered in the wild.

I'm intending to get a few of Exoskeleton Invert's Nicaraguan slings because he has such a clean bloodline.
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
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1,735
Who's riled up? Im calm :rage:..

But yea what they said.. Hondurans are what has been coming into the country for decades. Like three decades I believe.. Fluffy somewhat curly haired tan on tan/grey Tarantulas..

The Nicaraguan locality is a recent ( as far as I know, maybe some have snuck in here and there and been thrown in the mix) import that has much denser, ( is that even a word "denser" ) longer and from what I have seen straighter hairs. The color of the exo is darker than hondurans and contrasts much more strongly with the lighter colored hairs.

IMO they are much nicer looking than Honduran locality B.albos.

Hobby form B.albo is considered a hybrid or atleast falls under that umbrella of possibility because of unknown lineage.. Many have been sold in petstores over the years as B.albo but could of been B.albo x B.vagans crosses then outcrossed again to another B.albo and vice versa by hobbyist breeders..

Generally hobby form is considered a junk spider by many and probably shouldn't be bred. If they are they should only be bred to other hobby form specimens..

That's my understanding of the species anyways..
 

mconnachan

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
1,240
Makes sense to me. Thanks! I myself am an advocate of keeping species pure in the hobby, especially as more Theraphosids become endangered in the wild.

I'm intending to get a few of Exoskeleton Invert's Nicaraguan slings because he has such a clean bloodline.
That would be your best bet, Exoskeleton Inverts has some beautiful Nicaraguan B. albopilosum slings, they're pure bred, and that's a fact. He popped into one of my threads a while back when I was first getting my Nicaraguan B. albo's - he's got one of, if not the best gene pool of the species in captivity. I really hope you enjoy them, they're a stunning looking tarantula @MissHarlen
 
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