Tarantulas In Southern Arizona

[odinn7]

Ok...so here I am on vacation in Southern Arizona, about 5-7 miles from the border of Mexico. I have walked through some desert areas looking around. Can anyone give me an idea of what to look for in or on the ground that would indicate to me where I could find a tarantula? I have looked and looked but have not seen anything that would resemble a burrow although I am told that during the rainy season they are all over.
Thanks

 

[Gigas]

Forget the T's get some Scorps!

 

[Ewok]

Yeah you could find some nice desert hairy scorpions, just watch out for snakes lol

This is probably an unpractical way to find some tarantulas, but you could go out a dusk or night time and follow male tarantulas around so you could find the females' burrows lol

 

[tarantulakeeper]

Look for...

symmetrical holes from dime size to quarter size that show evidence of webbing. There are lots of holes out there in the desert that are the same size produced by emerging palo verde beetles, so webbing is a must. Also look for evidence of new dirt around the hole. Once you train your eyes to see the difference in the color of dirt, you'll see lots of evidence. Here's a link to two pictures I took recently of tarantula activity north of Phoenix. Good Luck! John

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=63805

PS PM me if you want information about next week's ATS convention.

 

[Ewok]

cool pics, its amazing how they can burrow in that gravel, sandy clay.

 

[mybigone1956]

Hey since you live in az. maybe you can tell me why is the desert blond so hard to come by, i have been trying to find one and all i hear is they cant get them . can you shed so light on this. thanks harry..

 

[Easyout58]

cool pics, its amazing how they can burrow in that gravel, sandy clay.

Yeah it is amazing! And we debate things like which is better, peat moss or coconut fibre... :?

 

[odinn7]

Those were some great pics and I thank you for taking the time to post them for me. Those are what I expected the burrows to look like but I kept seeing holes in the ground that looked nothing like that and assumed that perhaps those were the holes I was looking for. Since you posted those pics, I have taken to walking further along the property and have found all kinds of burrows as your pics show.
I would like to ask another question...I am told by my mother that when she sees these spiders running around, they are dark brown. They don't sound like chalcodes to me but I could be wrong. Being 5-7 miles from the border of Mexico (Arivaca, to be precise), would these be chalcodes or something else that I haven't thought of?

Thanks for the help.

 

[tarantulakeeper]

Those were some great pics and I thank you for taking the time to post them for me. Those are what I expected the burrows to look like but I kept seeing holes in the ground that looked nothing like that and assumed that perhaps those were the holes I was looking for. Since you posted those pics, I have taken to walking further along the property and have found all kinds of burrows as your pics show.
I would like to ask another question...I am told by my mother that when she sees these spiders running around, they are dark brown. They don't sound like chalcodes to me but I could be wrong. Being 5-7 miles from the border of Mexico (Arivaca, to be precise), would these be chalcodes or something else that I haven't thought of?

Thanks for the help.

You're welcome, my pleasure. 98/100 times if your mom sees tarantulas wandering around they are mature males. Females tend to stay pretty close to home. Chalcodes males are very brown upon maturity and all that I've had or have seen lose any tan or light color to them. The legs are quite dark as is the abdomen. The carapaces is slightly lighter. Smith (1994) shows A. apacheum northeast of Tucson, A. gabeli south and east towards Benson, A. vorhiesi southwest of Tucson, and of course, A. chalcodes. Although picture ID is always iffy at best, if you collect a specimen, post a pix and we'll try to help. John

 

[odinn7]

You're welcome, my pleasure. 98/100 times if your mom sees tarantulas wandering around they are mature males. Females tend to stay pretty close to home. Chalcodes males are very brown upon maturity and all that I've had or have seen lose any tan or light color to them. The legs are quite dark as is the abdomen. The carapaces is slightly lighter. Smith (1994) shows A. apacheum northeast of Tucson, A. gabeli south and east towards Benson, A. vorhiesi southwest of Tucson, and of course, A. chalcodes. Although picture ID is always iffy at best, if you collect a specimen, post a pix and we'll try to help. John

I can't thank you enough. You were instrumental in helping me find what I was looking for. My 9 year old niece and 7 year old nephew helped me in searching for holes after seeing the pics you put up. The niece found a perfect hole and I poured water in it. I got less than 1 ounce in the hole before this perfect chalcodes (I assume because of the coloring) flew out. Beautiful specimen though it looks like it needs to eat. The kids shrieked and ran but they had fun and I know they'll never forget the time their crazy uncle took them tarantula hunting on grandma's property. I will keep this one and hopefully it will live a long life.
Thanks again.

 

[metzgerzoo]

If you can, go back to that burrow and *carefully* dig it out to make sure there isn't an egg sac in it. Tis the birthing season and often times (of course not all the time though) when a female looks real thin, chances are it's because she's been brooding an egg sac.
Hence, the main reason I don't like "flooding" out tarantulas.
Congrats on your find, BTW, glad you had luck!

 

[tarantulakeeper]

That's great! I'm glad you were successful. John

 

[Sr. Chencho]

symmetrical holes from dime size to quarter size that show evidence of webbing. There are lots of holes out there in the desert that are the same size produced by emerging palo verde beetles, so webbing is a must. Also look for evidence of new dirt around the hole. Once you train your eyes to see the difference in the color of dirt, you'll see lots of evidence. Here's a link to two pictures I took recently of tarantula activity north of Phoenix. Good Luck! John

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=63805

PS PM me if you want information about next week's ATS convention.

TKeeper, Great info. and pics. showing evidence of an active T's hidding hole. I am currently working in Tucson and I get assigned in the areas of Arivaca and Sasabe. Would it be feasible to find a T in this areas as well? Also, I am a newbie at the hobby, what is a Chalcode? I've been trying to find a pic of it in the gallery but have failed. Please point me in the right direction.
Thanks,
Fred

 

[tarantulakeeper]

Tarantulas are found throughout the state. Unless someone has describe a tarantula I'm not aware of, all tarantulas in Arizona are in the genus Aphonopelma. Chalcodes refers to the species within that genus. If you'll go to the gallery, there is a thread titled "Aphonopelma" There are several Aphonopelma chalcodes pictured there. You could also do a search for aphonopelma chalcodes. Hope this helps. John