Avic ID HELP please
GenXtra

Avic ID HELP please

I purchased this Avic advertised as a female A. Metallica? I'm not so sure what species it is. Can I get some assistance?
Likely an A. avicularia morphotype of some sort. Are the grizzled setae just on the front legs, or on the back as well? I can't tell with the light.
 
That looks like a pretty typical A. metallica. Why do you think it isn't ?
 
@Siderum I don't know what you mean by "grizzled"?
@boina The seller had 3 of these sub/mature - mature "a-met's" & 3 "a-vics" all together and marked as such. They ALL looked VERY similar in appearance to this specimen.
 
@Ungoliant Thank you for the clarification.
I will try to determine if they're the same front/rear when I can get a good luck w/o spooking her. It's tight quarters with a vastly furnished pretzel container, each time I open it, she scoots towards the bottom under a leaf.
 
@boina My Avic. Avic looks exactly the same:astonished: I have always been confused between these two species.

How can you tell?
 
@Kimora Actually by the tips of the hairs. The two spiders are only considered color morphs at the moment if I remember right, and the metallica has white/grey tips and A. avic has not.
 
To add to the comments, other morphotypes also have white-tipped setae. I have "A. braunshauseni" that have white-tipped setae on the front legs but reddish setae on the back. Also, many of my young subadult "A. metallica" already lose any red on the abdomen by 2" legspan. I think we still have a lot to learn about the morphological variation in A. avicularia and whether or not there are cryptic species. Fukushima et. al (2017) was a great study. I am anxiously awaiting some molecular data to support/reject the tentative conclusions of the paper for A. avicularia.
 
@boina Oh okay! Thanks a lot for your answer. Can I ask you what you think about mine?:)

She was sold like a metallica but all people who see her tell me Avic. avicularia.
 

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Tarantula Identification
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