# Chinese funnelweb



## phormingochilus (May 10, 2005)

I received these a few days ago. Large black and shiny members of the Hexathelidae. Most likely belonging to the genus Macrothele. These spans at least 10 cm measured diagonally. Not really tarantulas but distant relatives more closely related to the funnelweb spiders of australia. Any how these are fun! ;-) Packed with attitude and speed, and stridulating with fangs raised when encountered I think they are small beauties packed in a nasty exterior ;-)

Enjoy

Sørten


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## metallica (May 10, 2005)

Soren, i'm shocked! this is no spider for you! so pack it, and bring it to the BTS... for ME!! :} 

Eddy


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## Cigarman (May 10, 2005)

Hehe its just so cuddly!


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## phormingochilus (May 10, 2005)

LOL - I might be able to get you some - but not in time for the bts. But we can discuss this at the show ;-)

But they sure are enviable - are they not? ;-)

Søren



			
				metallica said:
			
		

> Soren, i'm shocked! this is no spider for you! so pack it, and bring it to the BTS... for ME!! :}
> 
> Eddy


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## Steven (May 10, 2005)

:drool:  :drool:  :drool: 
is it a Macrothele gigas maybe ?

looks AWSOME !
i want some too,... go get some Eddy


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## Tescos (May 10, 2005)

phormingochilus said:
			
		

> But they sure are enviable - are they not? ;-)
> 
> Søren


Too dam right they are! I may just have to help you discuss these withh Eddy at the BTS show lol.


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## phormingochilus (May 10, 2005)

Nope we can easily rule out M. gigas as it is only found in the Ryuku islands and northern Taiwan. The size (of the two species type specimens) however is more or less the same, though considerably larger specimens of M. gigas has been found http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=32838&page=1&pp=15&highlight=macrothele With the keys I have available I am more inclined to believe it to be Macrothele guizhouensis, which can be found in China relatively near Hongkong, and which to my knowledge is the only other Macrothele that attains this size. Also Macrothele gigas can be readily distinguished by its reddish cheliceral bases something that is not found in this species.

Very Best Regards
Søren



			
				Steven said:
			
		

> :drool:  :drool:  :drool:
> is it a Macrothele gigas maybe ?
> 
> looks AWSOME !
> i want some too,... go get some Eddy


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## Steven (May 10, 2005)

thanx for the info,... :worship: 



indeed i forgot about the red cheliceral base :wall


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## Keith Richard (May 10, 2005)

phormingochilus said:
			
		

> I received these a few days ago. Large black and shiny members of the Hexathelidae. Most likely belonging to the genus Macrothele. These spans at least 10 cm measured diagonally. Not really tarantulas but distant relatives more closely related to the funnelweb spiders of australia. Any how these are fun! ;-) Packed with attitude and speed, and stridulating with fangs raised when encountered I think they are small beauties packed in a nasty exterior ;-)
> 
> Enjoy
> 
> Sørten


That's one nasty looking spider!!! Presumably, the bite's nowhere near as "hot" as its Sydney cousin? How about compared with the "hottest" Asian tarantula?


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## Randolph XX() (May 10, 2005)

phormingochilus said:
			
		

> Nope we can easily rule out M. gigas as it is only found in the Ryuku islands and northern Taiwan.


nah, it's all over taiwan, even on the reef shore of southest part of Taiwan , Kentin, up to 2000 m above the sea in the mountains of central Taiwan
ya it's not gigas, gigas has red chelicerae, can it be M.holtsti?
also body length i stated is not including spinerete 6 cm body(i won't try to straighten it by my hand) and at least 15 cm leg span, which you can see the leg span cover an adult man's lap


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## metallica (May 10, 2005)

phormingochilus said:
			
		

> LOL - I might be able to get you some - but not in time for the bts. But we can discuss this at the show ;-)
> 
> But they sure are enviable - are they not? ;-)
> 
> Søren


looks like i'll be buying you some beer, so we can discuss it! who will bring the bamboo beer holders?


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## GoTerps (May 10, 2005)

Very, very beautiful!  The best looking _Macrothele_ I've seen.


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## phormingochilus (May 10, 2005)

I do not believe it to be M. holsti. Mainly because M. holsti is from Taiwan and M. holsti is according to the description papers a small spider about 15 mm in bodylenght. And this spider I have posted pictures of is shipped (I intentionally didn't write collected) from Hong Kong. The most logic assumption would be M. palpator but my specimens are far too big (M. palpator rarely exceeding 2 cm bodylenght) so following the key of Zhu & Song from 2000: "The funnel-web spiders from China" it's most likely the large species M. guizhouensis which to my knowledge is the biggest chinese Macrothele species - with a type specimen measuring 28 mm in bodylenght (not including cheliceral bases and spinnerets)

Very Best Regards
Søren



			
				Randolph XX() said:
			
		

> nah, it's all over taiwan, even on the reef shore of southest part of Taiwan , Kentin, up to 2000 m above the sea in the mountains of central Taiwan
> ya it's not gigas, gigas has red chelicerae, can it be M.holtsti?
> also body length i stated is not including spinerete 6 cm body(i won't try to straighten it by my hand) and at least 15 cm leg span, which you can see the leg span cover an adult man's lap


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## El Johano (May 10, 2005)

Very nice 
Do you have males as well? Would be great to get it established in the hobby.


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## Randolph XX() (May 10, 2005)

some additional pages i dug out from Taiwanese sites
M.holtsti http://www.thudiv.com/variety/spider/011.htm
kid's toe bitten by M.gigas male http://www.thudiv.com/variety/spider/012.htm
M.gigas threaten pose http://www.thudiv.com/variety/spider/013.htm
dead male http://tw.img.webfile.yahoo.com/photo/ArthroAsia/10/27/21/-1/47.jpg
rights reserved to Microbird何坤達
speciment of M.gigas http://www.thudiv.com/variety/spider/010.htm
all from http://www.thudiv.com/variety/spider/spider1.htm
(translation accessories required)
also http://www2.thu.edu.tw/~araneae/BB.htm
 Molecular Phylogeography of the Funnel Web Spider Genus Macrothele（Araneae：Hexathelidae）in East Asia http://www2.thu.edu.tw/~araneae/Ming.htm
so it shouldn't be named "Vietnamnese funnel web" on http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/Macrothele-sp.html is not correct, cuz according to my info, they are not distrubuted in South East Asia, but only in East Asia
cheers


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## cichlidsman (May 10, 2005)

Wow they are some long spinnerets.


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