Thought I had a Costa Rican Zebra not sure now....

FiremanT

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 6, 2017
Messages
5
I bought a Costa Rican Zebra from Repticon it was a light brown/tan color want sure how old or if its a male or a female.....it molted two days ago and now is like a black/bluish color will it go back to brown or is this a different species than I originally thought I have pics.
 

Attachments

TownesVanZandt

Arachnoprince
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
1,041
A.Seemanni comes in several different colour variations. There´s a "blue form", but I don´t know if that´s what you have. The colours will always be much stronger just after a moult and gradually fade and become dull in premoult.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
Still an A. seemanni. A lot of them that come in an import look like yours till they molt. I've had two that did the same thing.
 

whovian89

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 13, 2016
Messages
37
Going by that bluish tint, it looks like A. seemanni. Also A. seemanni has orange/tan spinnerettes and tan belly (underside).
 

FiremanT

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 6, 2017
Messages
5
A.Seemanni comes in several different colour variations. There´s a "blue form", but I don´t know if that´s what you have. The colours will always be much stronger just after a moult and gradually fade and become dull in premoult.
OK thank you so it may fade back to a tan color or it may possibly stay that bluish/black tint until its time for it to molt again possibly is what you're saying...I just figured if it was tan when I got it a month and a half ago it would stay that same brown I'm new to this I appreciate your information thank you...I have more pictures I was also trying to figure out if it was male or female it wouldn't let me post in the sexing section
 

Attachments

FiremanT

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 6, 2017
Messages
5
Still an A. seemanni. A lot of them that come in an import look like yours till they molt. I've had two that did the same thing.
Oh OK so yours were brown and turned blue/blackish did they go back to brown? I'm trying to figure if the tan phase was just what color it becomes before it molts...I have only had it about a month and a half and it just surprised me with the color now I thought they stayed the same color throughout their lifespan.
 

Andrea82

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
OK thank you so it may fade back to a tan color or it may possibly stay that bluish/black tint until its time for it to molt again possibly is what you're saying...I just figured if it was tan when I got it a month and a half ago it would stay that same brown I'm new to this I appreciate your information thank you...I have more pictures I was also trying to figure out if it was male or female it wouldn't let me post in the sexing section
Not much can be seen from these pics, besides the fact that you A.seemani is pissed off :D
You need a pic with the focus on the area between the first pair of booklungs, on the underside of the abdomen :)
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
All T's fade or become dull looking before a molt. It will fade/dull again before next molt.
 

FiremanT

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 6, 2017
Messages
5
Not much can be seen from these pics, besides the fact that you A.seemani is pissed off :D
You need a pic with the focus on the area between the first pair of booklungs, on the underside of the abdomen :)
Thank you I will try
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
Th
not for sure but I was told to take a pic of the underside of the abdomen?
Ventral sexing is unreliable, whereas molt sexing is 100% spot on. Since your spider just molted you have the perfect opportunity to sex it properly. Look up molt sexing, it's pretty simple.
 

darkness975

Latrodectus
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Aug 31, 2012
Messages
5,610
Th
not for sure but I was told to take a pic of the underside of the abdomen?
You'll have to take a few pictures much closer to it, the next time it goes up on the glass get some shots as close as possible. Also try to do it in decent lighting.
 
Last edited:

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
I have more pictures I was also trying to figure out if it was male or female it wouldn't let me post in the sexing section
The Tarantula Sexing board has been replaced with two galleries where you can upload photos. (Other members can then post their opinions as comments on the photos.)

This is the sort of ventral image you need to attempt to sex a tarantula. (The bottom-left picture is of the inside of the abdominal exuviae to confirm the results of ventral sexing.)

However, it is far more accurate to sex a tarantula by examining the exuviae. Here is how to prepare it:

Using sharp scissors, separate the abdomen from the rest of the exuviae. Then fill a small dish with water, and add a drop of dish soap. (This decreases the surface tension of the water, making it easier to rehydrate the exuviae. Otherwise, it just tends to float on the surface.) Add the abdomen, and push it below the surface. Let it soak for 2-5 minutes.

When it's done soaking, you should be able to easily untwist the abdomen. I find that if you cut off the section below both pairs of book lungs (this is not needed), the section you do need will stay open. Otherwise, it has a tendency to fold in on itself.

You may find this video by @z32upgrader helpful: that is where I got the helpful tips on adding a drop of dish liquid and cutting away the parts you don't need. It also shows what area to focus on when taking photos.


Example of usable exuviae photos:
 
Top