It's the bit above the flap you pay attention to inbetween the flap n where the abdomen attaches to the carapace, males have a hollow arch above that flap, females have a bulging pouch, only works for nw sp though and even then some are more difficult than others to tell. I have no idea with ow sp still learning myself
The little flap you're talking about is between the forward set of book lungs (the pale patches on either side of the T's 'belly') - it's actually a little slit or vent, and it's called the epigastric furrow. When trying to determine gender with this method, what you're really looking for are the epiandrous fusillae, which are a densely packed patch of specialized setae that male theraphosinae use when building a sperm web prior to mating. Usually these fusillae are accompanied by a dimple or crease in the center of the furrow, but not always. In this case, the epiandrous fusillae are easily seen - it's the little darker dot on the anterior (forward) lip of the furrow. This is not present in females, and female often have a bit of a puffed out appearance to that anterior lip of the furrow, due to the fact that they have the spermathecae and uterus externus inside underneath that lip.
I wish I was able to grab a screen shot and mark it up to illustrate this, but I can't. It is all a bit confusing and heavy with technical jargon, but once you see it a few times and figure out what you're looking for, it is actually fairly simple. Let me know if you have any questions or need more clarification!
The little flap you're talking about is between the forward set of book lungs (the pale patches on either side of the T's 'belly') - it's actually a little slit or vent, and it's called the epigastric furrow. When trying to determine gender with this method, what you're really looking for are the epiandrous fusillae, which are a densely packed patch of specialized setae that male theraphosinae use when building a sperm web prior to mating. Usually these fusillae are accompanied by a dimple or crease in the center of the furrow, but not always. In this case, the epiandrous fusillae are easily seen - it's the little darker dot on the anterior (forward) lip of the furrow. This is not present in females, and female often have a bit of a puffed out appearance to that anterior lip of the furrow, due to the fact that they have the spermathecae and uterus externus inside underneath that lip.
I wish I was able to grab a screen shot and mark it up to illustrate this, but I can't. It is all a bit confusing and heavy with technical jargon, but once you see it a few times and figure out what you're looking for, it is actually fairly simple. Let me know if you have any questions or need more clarification!
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