I bought this one last year as a tiny sling of Tliltocatl/Brachypelma vagans from a reputated source together with couple of other vagans. But the coloration indicates a mistake. Any thoughts?
It's definitely some Tliltocatl species. There's a lot of carapace color variation within individual redrump species; hard to tell some of them apart. T. kahlenbergi is possible, vagans is not out of the question either (see coloration differences between mainland and island locales). A look at the spermatheca when it molts would be helpful.
The slings come from the same breeder and I do not expect that coloration differences could be due to mixed mainland/island forms. But one never knows. Unfortunately, this one is male and spermatheca will not help much.
When i saw this picuture i thought "nice, a kahlenbergi". My T. kahlenbergi looks and burrows very similar, so I'd say kahlenbergi.
My kahlenbergi (and every other i guess) changes colors with every molt. Carapace is sometimes brown, black or reddish/golden like yours.
Hi quirius, thanks for your opinion. I wanted to note that this one is typical burrower, hidden all the time. Others (vagans) are always visible and do not digg much. So kahlenbergi?
Yes, kahlenbergi is a heavy burrower, mine made a huge and long burrow across the enclosure. She is outside only at night, but every night.
Another kahlenbergi i know lives like a trapdoor spider.
I never owned vagans or other Tiltlocatl, dunno how much they burrow, but i guess you are right.
I'd bet kahlenbergi, but i am really no expert.
I have no reason to believe it isn't a T. vagans cf. There is so much variability between individuals and life stages. I've owned over two dozen of these over the years (still have 16)...some have been regular burrowers, some do a little substrate moving, and some don't do any....and 15 came from the same sac and have this variability in behavior and carapace color.
OK then, if the variability is so high even between indivuduals from the same sac then I must do molecular analysis (I always wanted to do that and have possibility to perform it in my lab
Thanks DaveM, I know this paper, but it shows color variations in the different populations. But from the same sac? Well, jezzy607wrote that even this is possible. I will wait for another molt.
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