# What does instar mean?



## NYBrett (Oct 25, 2007)

Ive heard spiders(lings) having numbered "instars" what does this mean?


----------



## thedude (Oct 25, 2007)

NYBrett said:


> Ive heard spiders(lings) having numbered "instars" what does this mean?


the time between each molt lke 1st instar would be between the first and 2nd molt


----------



## NYBrett (Oct 25, 2007)

Thank you!!


----------



## Anastasia (Oct 25, 2007)

eggs with legs-->nymphs /1st instar/-->spiderling/second instar/
I think :?


----------



## P. Novak (Oct 25, 2007)

Anastasia said:


> eggs with legs-->nymphs /1st instar/-->spiderling/second instar/
> I think :?


eggs - postembryos(eggs with legs) - 1st instar - 2nd instar and so on. (Nymphs refer to insects like crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, etc. and a T is not an insect so I don't call them that)


----------



## Anastasia (Oct 25, 2007)

P. Novak said:


> eggs - postembryos(eggs with legs) - 1st instar - 2nd instar and so on. (Nymphs refer to insects like crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, etc. and a T is not an insect so I don't call them that)


Hmm, then looks like many Tarantula books are wrong


----------



## P. Novak (Oct 25, 2007)

Anastasia said:


> Hmm, then looks like many Tarantula books are wrong


Could they be some of the older books or by european authors?


----------



## Anastasia (Oct 25, 2007)

P. Novak said:


> Could they be some of the older books or by european authors?


so far one I can recall 'Tarantulas & scorpions in captivity' by Russ Gurley
lillones  been called nymphs , before they molt in to spiderlings


----------



## P. Novak (Oct 25, 2007)

Anastasia said:


> so far one I can recall 'Tarantulas & scorpions in captivity' by Russ Gurley
> lillones  been called nymphs , before they molt in to spiderlings


Interesting. I still never call them nymphs, I know some people do, especially the european hobbyists. I don't see anything wrong with it, except for nymphs refers to insects, but it doesn't matter.


----------



## butch4skin (Oct 25, 2007)

Europeans also eat snails and wear speedos to the beach.

Reactions: Funny 2


----------



## Anastasia (Oct 25, 2007)

butch4skin said:


> Europeans also eat snails and wear speedos to the beach.


Oh comon now


----------



## DMTWI (Oct 25, 2007)

butch4skin said:


> Europeans also eat snails and wear speedos to the beach.



Would that be the topless beach?     :}


----------



## butch4skin (Oct 25, 2007)

In the defense of Europeans, Canadians do it too(and I meant the guys, on a woman it's a bikini bottom)


----------



## cacoseraph (Oct 25, 2007)

also, a lot of ppl misuse "instar" in a sort of synonymy with spiderling... which drives me nuts. as said before, all it means is the time between molts


----------



## Drachenjager (Oct 26, 2007)

cacoseraph said:


> also, a lot of ppl misuse "instar" in a sort of synonymy with spiderling... which drives me nuts. as said before, all it means is the time between molts


just dosent sound right to say i have a 137th instar G. rosea female...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## P. Novak (Oct 26, 2007)

Drachenjager said:


> just dosent sound right to say i have a 137th instar G. rosea female...


Haha, but it's the truth.


----------



## Anastasia (Oct 26, 2007)

P. Novak said:


> Haha, but it's the truth.


rosiey's live long but grow very slow
life span 20-40yr it would have to molt almost 7 times per year in average if it lives 20yrs
I doubt that


----------



## AubZ (Oct 26, 2007)

OK, so now we are getting technical.


----------



## whitehaze2008 (Oct 26, 2007)

*Lol Lol*

 ah come on now...speedos are really hot haha


----------



## P. Novak (Oct 26, 2007)

Anastasia said:


> rosiey's live long but grow very slow
> life span 20-40yr it would have to molt almost 7 times per year in average if it lives 20yrs
> I doubt that


Yeah we know. It was a joke. :wall: It would really be more like 12-15 instar.


----------



## Stan Schultz (Oct 27, 2007)

thedude said:


> the time between each molt lke 1st instar would be between the first and 2nd molt


Technically, it isn't the time, it's a stage in their growth cycle.

"In many arthropods (e.g., crustaceans and insects) the form and lifestyle of immature individuals changes with each molt as their growth and development proceeds. Each stage has specific characteristics not present or applicable to those preceding it, and often following it. In addition, in these creatures, the number of molts between hatching and sexual maturity or completion of growth is often fixed.

In an effort to uniquely characterize each interval in the arthropod's life cycle, biologists have adopted the practice of referring to each step or stage between molts as an 'instar.' An instar is defined as the stage or state of development between molts (Barnes 1980) or an intermolt stage in the development of an arthropod (Lincoln and Boxshall 1987). Sometimes biologists use the terms 'stage', or 'stadium' to mean approximately the same as instar. And, many biologists use instar to refer to the creature itself in a particular phase of development, e.g., 'The fifth instar only has three pairs of legs...' " (The Tarantula Keeper's Guide, 3rd Edition - in preparation)

(Now that was sneaky, wasn't it?  )

Enjoy all 57 instars of your tarantula!


----------



## Anastasia (Oct 27, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> Technically, it isn't the time, it's a stage in their growth cycle.
> 
> "In many arthropods (e.g., crustaceans and insects) the form and lifestyle of immature individuals changes with each molt as their growth and development proceeds. Each stage has specific characteristics not present or applicable to those preceding it, and often following it. In addition, in these creatures, the number of molts between hatching and sexual maturity or completion of growth is often fixed.
> 
> ...


very sneaky  , but very good  
I always knew Canuks are smart peeps


----------



## Stan Schultz (Oct 27, 2007)

butch4skin said:


> In the defense of Europeans, Canadians do it too(and I meant the guys, on a woman it's a bikini bottom)


The overwhelming majority of us do not. However, it's not too remarkable to see a guy in walking shorts, down parka, sandals and wool socks in February! I've never quite gotten over that, even though I've lived in Canada for better than 2 decades! 

Not only that, last July when the temperature in Calgary topped 90° F some Canadian dude was seen playing volley ball in a city park in a red thong! 

Enjoy your Canadian, Spandex tarantula!


----------



## Jmugleston (Oct 27, 2007)

*Just a side note on borrowed terminology.*

Some of the arachnid publications will borrow terms from entomology to draw a connection with processes or body parts that are present in spiders. Nymphs though incorrect is used occasionally as is cephalothorax and abdomen. Again, not correct, but frequently seen in publications and in these forums. (especially the cephalothorax and abdomen). Technically doesn't work with spider anatomy, but what can you do?


----------



## AubZ (Oct 27, 2007)

I never got over the socks and sandals either.  Just wierd to me.


----------



## butch4skin (Oct 27, 2007)

Is it socks with open toe sandals or the ones with the plastic piece that fits between toes 1 and 2?


----------



## AubZ (Oct 27, 2007)

Mainly Sandel 1 (open toe) But I've seen both being worn with socks.  Don't ask me how sandel 2 even works with a sock.  Mwahahaha.


----------



## butch4skin (Oct 27, 2007)

AubZ said:


> Mainly Sandel 1 (open toe) But I've seen both being worn with socks.  Don't ask me how sandel 2 even works with a sock.  Mwahahaha.


Yeah, I don't get it either, makes no sense.


----------



## P. Novak (Oct 27, 2007)

Wow, where has this topic gone...:wall:


----------



## AubZ (Oct 27, 2007)

Would it help if the sandels in question had stars on them??  Or maybe the socks?


----------



## Stan Schultz (Nov 2, 2007)

butch4skin said:


> Is it socks with open toe sandals or the ones with the plastic piece that fits between toes 1 and 2?


Usual open toed, sometimes both.


----------



## butch4skin (Nov 3, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> Usual open toed, sometimes both.


sickness







.


----------



## Timmee81 (Feb 27, 2016)

cacoseraph said:


> also, a lot of ppl misuse "instar" in a sort of synonymy with spiderling... which drives me nuts. as said before, all it means is the time between molts


Sorry I probably sound really stupid but I've just purchased two 2nd instar. T's so this means they're between their second and third moult. Correct? Yes or no is sufficient answer


----------



## EulersK (Feb 27, 2016)

Necromancy must be in style right now...

Yes. The answer is yes.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Funny 2


----------



## Toxoderidae (Feb 27, 2016)

Bunch of people've been playing skyrim, Necromancers in training!

Reactions: Funny 3


----------



## tonypace2009 (Feb 27, 2016)

Timmee81 said:


> Sorry I probably sound really stupid but I've just purchased two 2nd instar. T's so this means they're between their second and third moult. Correct? Yes or no is sufficient answer


Yes


----------



## Toxoderidae (Feb 27, 2016)

Honestly necro'd threads should be removed at this point, especially 10 year old ones.


----------



## cold blood (Feb 27, 2016)

Not if there is still validity to the question and the answers given....I recently had a member message me with the same question.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 6


----------



## Haksilence (Feb 28, 2016)

Threads more than 2 years old without a new post should be archived, mod locked to prevent revival lol.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Feb 28, 2016)

Stop the hate against zombie threads, they are awesome

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## EulersK (Feb 28, 2016)

cold blood said:


> Not if there is still validity to the question and the answers given....I recently had a member message me with the same question.


Gonna have to disagree with this one. The way I see it, overall, this is a discussion forum. I'm not talking about subforums, here - as a whole, Arachnoboards is for discussions. It's not just for fact gathering. If it were, then these threads would be perfect. But since this is all discussion based and not a classroom, by design, there will always be different people willing and able to post at different times. Had this thread been recreated, I would put money on it that new information would be presented, and the new poster (the necro) would have gotten more information than a simple "yes or no" answer. As I'm sure you'd agree, users on here tend to go on tangents, which is not a bad thing. It presents unrelated, important information to users that are willing to read.


----------



## cold blood (Feb 28, 2016)

EulersK said:


> Had this thread been recreated, I would put money on it that new information would be presented, and the new poster (the necro) would have gotten more information than a simple "yes or no" answer.


We will have to agree to disagree on that....I mean it was a simple question, seriously, there is NO new information to be added, it was a simple question with a simple answer.

Please tell me what new info there is about the word instar and its meaning.

And fact gathering is as much a part of a forum as a discussion IMO.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## tonypace2009 (Feb 28, 2016)

Chris LXXIX said:


> Stop the hate against zombie threads, they are awesome


My favorite are the old my spider escaped threads. New posters asking if spider has been located yet . after 3 year's.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 3 | Love 1


----------



## lalberts9310 (Feb 29, 2016)

tonypace2009 said:


> My favorite are the old my spider escaped threads. New posters asking if spider has been located yet . after 3 year's.


YES!!! I always get a kick out of those threads.


----------



## Timmee81 (Mar 15, 2016)

Wel luckily enough this thread was still around because I had asked the same question on other recent posts and not a single person has bothered to reply so if a posts active and people are willing to reply that's much better than active ones where no one gives you time of day. Just saying


----------



## Nyke (Mar 31, 2017)

One year later, let me add more terms (from https://sites.google.com/site/tarantuladb/reference)

*General Terms*
50/50 split – Splitting the offspring from a breeding loan half and half between the respective owners.

Breeding loan – Where the owner of a mature male T “loans” the male to the owner of a female for a breeding attempt. If successful, it will result in a 50/50 split. 

BL – body length – a less common way of measuring a T, from chelicerae to spinnerets. 

CB – captive bred -- Although some people use CB to mean captive born which could include sacs from 
WC mothers, they use CBB (captive bred & born) to distinguish spiders mated in captivity. 

CH - captive hatched, usually means from wild caught mothers 

CR – captive raised 

Crix - crickets 

Death curl – A dying T, upright with legs curled like a clenching fist 

Dessicated - dehydrated, dried up 

Dyskinetic Syndrome (DKS) - A normally fatal disease that affects tarantulas, extremely rare. Symptoms include jerky, spastic, or wobbly movements. 

DIY - do it yourself (building your own tanks, enclosures, hides, backdrops, etc.) 

FS/T - for sale or trade 

Genera – plural form of genus. 

Gravid – a female with eggs, pregnant.

Hide – an artificial burrow or place for your tarantula to hide (wood, bark, flower pot, coconut shell etc.) 

ICU - intensive care unit, a place to keep an ailing T (usually a sterile delicup with a moist paper towel) 

ISO - In search of 

Juvie – juvenile tarantula 

KK - kritter keeper 

LPS – local pet store 

LS/DLS – leg span/diagonal leg span – the common way of measuring a T (leg I on one side to leg IV on the other side) 

LTC – long term captive, but originally wild caught 

Nematode – A worm-like parasite that can infect tarantulas, either wild caught or fed wild caught prey. Very rare. 

NW - new world (from North, Central, and South America) 

OW - old world (from Africa, Asia, Australia) ) 

Pet hole – an obligate burrowing species, once they dig their burrow, the “hole” is about all you see of them 

Pinhead - very small crickets, used to feed very small spiders 

Post-molt - Right after molting when the exoskeleton is hardening (darkening) 

Pre-molt – The timeframe (1 week to 2 months) prior to molting. Signs: fasting, darkened abdomen, sluggish behavior, etc. 

RH – relative humidity 

SADS – Sudden Avic Death Syndrome – sometimes avic slings just die suddenly for no apparent reason 

Sexual dimorphism – when one gender has a characteristic difference from the other (color, size, etc.) 

Sling (or s'ling) – spiderling – baby tarantula 

Substrate - the material that is the bottom enclosure (coconut coir, peat moss, potting soil, etc.) 

T - tarantula 

Temp - temperature 

Threat display – when a T rears its front legs up (and sometimes bears fangs) in defense 

Theraphosid – short for _Theraphosidae_ - The scientific family that tarantulas belong to. 

Ventral sexing – Determining the sex of a T by examining the area between the booklungs. 

WC - wild caught 

WTB - want to buy 

X.X.X (#males.#females.#unsexed) system that denotes the number and gender of species in a collection 
1.0.0 one male tarantula 
0.2.0 two female tarantulas 
0.0.3 three unsexed tarantulas 
1.2.3 _G. rosea_ – this means a total of 6 _Grammostola rosea_: 1 male, 2 female and 3 unsexed

Reactions: Like 2 | Helpful 4


----------

