# Paraphrynus Mexicanus?



## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 3, 2017)

Last week I found this little guy under a piece of bark. I already keep other arachnids such as Scorpions and Tarantulas and would like to keep this one too. I've tried feeding it but it won't eat. I already made it a little habitat and dropped a few roaches. Can anyone help me identify what type of Whip Spider this is and their specific care? Thank you in advanced.

Reactions: Love 1


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## RTTB (Dec 3, 2017)

Where was it found?


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 3, 2017)

RTTB said:


> Where was it found?


I am currently in Matamoros, Mexico. Right below Texas, I found it behind a piece of bark attached to a tree.


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 3, 2017)

Francisco Villanueva said:


> I am currently in Matamoros, Mexico. Right below Texas, I found it behind a piece of bark attached to a tree.


Found it in Mexico if I wasn't specific enough. Right below Texas like I said.


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## schmiggle (Dec 3, 2017)

Based on location, I would think it's probably Phrynus operculatus, but it looks more like Paraphrynus raptator to me. I don't really know the range of the latter species, so that's my current guess on ID. It's not P. mexicanus, since you're outside the range for that species.


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 3, 2017)

schmiggle said:


> Based on location, I would think it's probably Phrynus operculatus, but it looks more like Paraphrynus raptator to me. I don't really know the range of the latter species, so that's my current guess on ID. It's not P. mexicanus, since you're outside the range for that species.


Thanks a lot Schmiggle, I'll look em up and hopefully be able to keep it. So far it's been doing good and have done most of the things I've found. You're welcome to throw in any care tips if you feel like it. Thanks once again.


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## schmiggle (Dec 3, 2017)

Francisco Villanueva said:


> Thanks a lot Schmiggle, I'll look em up and hopefully be able to keep it. So far it's been doing good and have done most of the things I've found. You're welcome to throw in any care tips if you feel like it. Thanks once again.


Don't know any care particulars for whatever this species is, amblypygi generally like it room temperature (not below seventy, not above ninety) with high humidity. If it's a desert species I imagine it's a little more tolerant of temperature and humidity swings, but I wouldn't push it. Don't worry too much about it not eating--it may just be settling in, or it may not be hungry. These can go for at least two months without food, if I'm not mistaken. Make sure it has some sort of vertical or elevated horizontal surface to molt from.


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 3, 2017)

schmiggle said:


> Don't know any care particulars for whatever this species is, amblypygi generally like it room temperature (not below seventy, not above ninety) with high humidity. If it's a desert species I imagine it's a little more tolerant of temperature and humidity swings, but I wouldn't push it. Don't worry too much about it not eating--it may just be settling in, or it may not be hungry. These can go for at least two months without food, if I'm not mistaken. Make sure it has some sort of vertical or elevated horizontal surface to molt from.


Thanks for the tips. I placed it in a fairly large plastic container and added pieces of bark there for it to hide in. They are not completely vertical which I hope is alright, but they are pretty elevated. I misted it about three times and added another roach. I hope to see at least one of the three gone by the time I see it again. Also, I just want to know if they might be communal. I've seen more of these but never really captured one. I'd like to have more if I'm able to keep this one, preferably in one container to save space. Although separating them won't hurt.


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## chanda (Dec 3, 2017)

Francisco Villanueva said:


> Thanks for the tips. I placed it in a fairly large plastic container and added pieces of bark there for it to hide in. They are not completely vertical which I hope is alright, but they are pretty elevated. I misted it about three times and added another roach. I hope to see at least one of the three gone by the time I see it again. Also, I just want to know if they might be communal. I've seen more of these but never really captured one. I'd like to have more if I'm able to keep this one, preferably in one container to save space. Although separating them won't hurt.


I've never kept that species, but I do have a trio of _Paraphrynus mexicanus_ that I've been keeping communally for the past year and a half or so and they're doing fine. They have a big piece of cholla wood that they hide inside during the daytime and several slabs of cork slanted against the walls. I have a dirt/sand/coconut fiber mix for substrate (mostly dirt/sand) and mist them 2-3 times a week. They're in a tall screen-top glass tank so they have plenty of ventilation. They are a desert species, so don't require high humidity. (We do have a small humidifier in our invert room that keeps the ambient humidity slightly elevated.) I give 'em small crickets about once a week.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## pannaking22 (Dec 4, 2017)

Agreed with schmiggle's ID, though phrynid taxonomy is kind of messy and it can be hard to sight ID them. Room temp should be fine for this species, medium humidity, vertical or somewhat vertical bark to cling to and food items about the size of the head every week or two and it should be happy. They can take a while to settle in, so I'm not too surprised that it isn't eating.

May have been found in Mexico, but I'll have to keep an eye out for these next time I'm down in the valley!


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 4, 2017)

chanda said:


> I've never kept that species, but I do have a trio of _Paraphrynus mexicanus_ that I've been keeping communally for the past year and a half or so and they're doing fine. They have a big piece of cholla wood that they hide inside during the daytime and several slabs of cork slanted against the walls. I have a dirt/sand/coconut fiber mix for substrate (mostly dirt/sand) and mist them 2-3 times a week. They're in a tall screen-top glass tank so they have plenty of ventilation. They are a desert species, so don't require high humidity. (We do have a small humidifier in our invert room that keeps the ambient humidity slightly elevated.) I give 'em small crickets about once a week.


Thanks for the info. When I have time, I'll look for more and see if I can house them together. I don't have anything to use as substrate and don't know if I can. I give them roaches and they tend to bury into it. Doubt they'll eat if they don't even come out of the substrate. If I catch more, I'll be sure to upgrade to a bigger plastic enclosure. I also switched the small pieces of bark to two large ones, hopefully I can keep more like that. And would you know if there's any advantage to feeding them crickets over roaches?


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 4, 2017)

pannaking22 said:


> Agreed with schmiggle's ID, though phrynid taxonomy is kind of messy and it can be hard to sight ID them. Room temp should be fine for this species, medium humidity, vertical or somewhat vertical bark to cling to and food items about the size of the head every week or two and it should be happy. They can take a while to settle in, so I'm not too surprised that it isn't eating.
> 
> May have been found in Mexico, but I'll have to keep an eye out for these next time I'm down in the valley!


Thanks for the help. I don't have any crickets to give them, I usually give it roaches that I'm attempting to breed. They seem to be a bit bigger than the head tho. I'll be sure to give it smaller ones. 

Yeah you should, they're the first of the type i keep and am already in love with it. They seem like such interesting creatures. I really do hope it eats so I'm able to keep it. 

Thanks to you all for answering my questions in this thread. Hope you don't mind me posting pictures of my other arachnids.

Reactions: Like 1


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## chanda (Dec 4, 2017)

Francisco Villanueva said:


> Thanks for the info. When I have time, I'll look for more and see if I can house them together. I don't have anything to use as substrate and don't know if I can. I give them roaches and they tend to bury into it. Doubt they'll eat if they don't even come out of the substrate. If I catch more, I'll be sure to upgrade to a bigger plastic enclosure. I also switched the small pieces of bark to two large ones, hopefully I can keep more like that. And would you know if there's any advantage to feeding them crickets over roaches?


They don't burrow! The crickets will climb right up to the whipspiders.


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 4, 2017)

chanda said:


> They don't burrow! The crickets will climb right up to the whipspiders.


Haha, don't know how I didn't realize. I'll buy some substrate then since it helps keep humidity up. I'll probably have to switch the diet of all of my pets tho, hope they don't mind. I've also been thinking that since crickets are softer, they'll be easier to eat and digest, not too sure though. Thanks!


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## pannaking22 (Dec 5, 2017)

Francisco Villanueva said:


> Thanks for the help. I don't have any crickets to give them, I usually give it roaches that I'm attempting to breed. They seem to be a bit bigger than the head tho. I'll be sure to give it smaller ones.
> 
> Yeah you should, they're the first of the type i keep and am already in love with it. They seem like such interesting creatures. I really do hope it eats so I'm able to keep it.
> 
> Thanks to you all for answering my questions in this thread. Hope you don't mind me posting pictures of my other arachnids.


The biggest issue you can run into with crickets is that they'll munch on molting arachnids. Yours looks pretty old so it'll likely be a while before it molts, but it's worth keeping in mind. Once yours is settled and starts eating you'll be able to figure out the prey type it prefers and the size it's most comfortable with. I have all my amblypygids eating roaches, but the prey size varies. My Phrynus sp. Panama like prey about the size of the head, while my Damon diadema prefer food the size of their whole body. My old male D. diadema reluctantly ate most roaches and crickets, but as soon as I dropped an adult male red runner roach in his enclosure he'd be on it right as soon as it hit the ground.

Amblypygids are one of my favorite groups to keep. Such an alien look and overall easy pets.

Are your scorps Centruroides gracilis?


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 5, 2017)

pannaking22 said:


> The biggest issue you can run into with crickets is that they'll munch on molting arachnids. Yours looks pretty old so it'll likely be a while before it molts, but it's worth keeping in mind. Once yours is settled and starts eating you'll be able to figure out the prey type it prefers and the size it's most comfortable with. I have all my amblypygids eating roaches, but the prey size varies. My Phrynus sp. Panama like prey about the size of the head, while my Damon diadema prefer food the size of their whole body. My old male D. diadema reluctantly ate most roaches and crickets, but as soon as I dropped an adult male red runner roach in his enclosure he'd be on it right as soon as it hit the ground.
> 
> Amblypygids are one of my favorite groups to keep. Such an alien look and overall easy pets.
> 
> Are your scorps Centruroides gracilis?


That I wouldn't know, sorry. They're a pest in my house and my grandmother tends to kill them. To avoid that, I usually capture them and keep them. I really haven't done much research on them, but as far as I've seen, they resemble the Florida Bark Scorpion a lot. If I find any info on them, I'll be happy to tell.

Edit: I just realized they're about the same type of scorpion. My bad! But yes, I've believed them to be that for quite some time now.


Thanks for the feeding info by the way, I'll try throwing in different sized roaches or crickets to see which are gone. I'll stick to those that are gone then.


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## pannaking22 (Dec 6, 2017)

Francisco Villanueva said:


> That I wouldn't know, sorry. They're a pest in my house and my grandmother tends to kill them. To avoid that, I usually capture them and keep them. I really haven't done much research on them, but as far as I've seen, they resemble the Florida Bark Scorpion a lot. If I find any info on them, I'll be happy to tell.
> 
> Edit: I just realized they're about the same type of scorpion. My bad! But yes, I've believed them to be that for quite some time now.
> 
> ...


You're finding those in/near Brownsville? The smaller one is interesting, I think it's still a Centruroides sling, but something about it is throwing me for whatever reason. If you keep them like C. gracilis I'm sure they'll be happy.


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 6, 2017)

pannaking22 said:


> You're finding those in/near Brownsville? The smaller one is interesting, I think it's still a Centruroides sling, but something about it is throwing me for whatever reason. If you keep them like C. gracilis I'm sure they'll be happy.


Weird enough, i am finding them near Brownsville. Matamoros, Tamaulipas in Mexico to be exact. It actually has a little story behind it. So some neighbors that moved in next to us brought, easily, over a ton of shells. Like, a huge stack. Ever since they brought to our little neighborhood, a lot of scorpions have been popping up. I think they came in the shells, most likely from Florida. They really haven't left and just keep reproducing and have stayed here since. They have also become a pest like i said. And in case that's throwing you off, i think it is because it might be another species. I've found black/ brown scorpions like the one i posted. But also, I've been finding more yellowish Scorpions that are much slender and faster. I haven't really tried to keep those since I've never been able to feed one. I still have no idea what species exactly these yellow ones are. But if you have anymore questions, I'll be happy to answer.


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## BobBarley (Dec 7, 2017)

Something about the abdomen/overall coloration throws me off on the last scorpling.  The other scorpion sure looks like a C. gracilis.



Francisco Villanueva said:


> Weird enough, i am finding them near Brownsville. Matamoros, Tamaulipas in Mexico to be exact. It actually has a little story behind it. So some neighbors that moved in next to us brought, easily, over a ton of shells. Like, a huge stack. Ever since they brought to our little neighborhood, a lot of scorpions have been popping up. I think they came in the shells, most likely from Florida. They really haven't left and just keep reproducing and have stayed here since. They have also become a pest like i said. And in case that's throwing you off, i think it is because it might be another species. I've found black/ brown scorpions like the one i posted. But also, I've been finding more yellowish Scorpions that are much slender and faster. I haven't really tried to keep those since I've never been able to feed one. I still have no idea what species exactly these yellow ones are. But if you have anymore questions, I'll be happy to answer.


Very interested...  If they are gracilis, I really hope they don't become established and drive out other species.  Get a pic of the yellow one next time you capture one.  

Perhaps you can move over the scorpion stuff on this thread to a new thread in the 'scorpions' section?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Francisco Villanueva (Dec 7, 2017)

BobBarley said:


> Something about the abdomen/overall coloration throws me off on the last scorpling.  The other scorpion sure looks like a C. gracilis.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yellows ones aren't as common, but I'll try my best to show. I'll upload a pic of it on a new thread like you suggested on the scorpion section. And I think they might have already driven off some species.. There's much less anoles now than before, not to say that the scorpions have eaten them all, but I've seen a few scorpions eating baby anoles.


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## pannaking22 (Jan 2, 2018)

Any chance you could get a shot of the pedipalps? It's bugging me that I can't seem to get this guy to genus and the spines of the pedipalps would help with that.


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## Francisco Villanueva (Jan 7, 2018)

Sure thing bud. Sorry for the late reply. I've been keeping 3 of them already and they all seem to be doing fine. Here's a pic of one of them. It's a bit younger and I hope it's the same species too, should be. Hope it helps by the way.

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## pannaking22 (Jan 8, 2018)

Not a problem, glad to hear you've got more now too! That picture definitely helps, genus is Paraphrynus. There are two spines between the two longest spines on the pedipalps, whereas Phrynus only has one spine between the two longest ones.


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## pannaking22 (Jan 29, 2019)

How are your amblys doing @Francisco Villanueva?


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## KarinaPereira27 (Apr 15, 2020)

Ola, encontrei essa aranha no meu banheiro. Moro no BRASIL. É possível ser a mexicana?


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## pannaking22 (Apr 15, 2020)

@KarinaPereira27, esta é provavelmente uma das suas espécies nativas brasileiras. Quão grande era? Pode ser Phrynus santarensis, embora o tamanho possa ajudar a eliminar o gênero Charinus.

Desculpe se houver erros na tradução, não sei português e usei o Google translate para isso.


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## KarinaPereira27 (Apr 15, 2020)

Boa tarde
Sem problemas rs
Ela é pequena metade de um dedo menor 
Só as pernas que são bem grandes


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