Acanthoscurria

BinarySpider

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
37
I just got this tarantula last night. It is about 2 inches long using the diagonal tip of the front left leg to the tip of the rear right leg as the measurement.

Is it an Acanthoscurria geniculata or an Acanthoscurria brocklehursti ?

Is it to young to determine the gender ?



So far it has eaten 5 small brown crickets about 1/2 inch long. While I am new the tarantulas I had a very large new world solid black one when I was a teenager. I have a small son is why I chose new world spider even though I like the Indian Pokies best. This was because of the nasty bite of the Pokies and he is to young for that.

Here are some links to a couple of very decent photos of these two tarantulas that I have found online so far but they are of adult taratulas and mine is only a couple of inches leg to leg...

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.tarantula.store/A.geniculata.htm

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.tarantula.store/A.brocklehursti.htm

Thanks for any answers. :)

BinarySpider
 

syndicate

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
4,497
its really hard to say for me wether its genic or brock.geniculata are alot more common.but they are very similiar looking.i know the brocklehursti has slightly dif leg banding and the sure way to tell is from a mature male because the structure of the embolus is different than geniculata
 

spid142

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 9, 2006
Messages
492
which one

I have a white knee, geniculata supposedly, and yours looks like mine as far as I can tell.
 

golda

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
89
Its really hard to tell actually... the bandings on the legs as "syndicate" has mentioned are slightly different with regards to the geniculata and the brocklehursti. as for the carapace as far as im concerned its the same. for me its looks more like an A.Geniculata. :?
 

ctsoth

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
112
Hard to tell, I bought a tarantula labeled as a A. Brock. and the white is brighter than on your specimen there. To me it likes like a Brock? :wall:

I would recommend keeping your hands a safe distance from this species, whichever it is :).

I feed mine 6 crickets every 3 or so weeks. I say "or so" because I pay more attention to abdomen size and signs of premolt than I do the amount of time that has passed. Keep the water dish full, and mist the substrate -weekly-. [Or more or less to your liking.]

Mine has never refused food, they are voracious eaters.
 

Alice

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
976
from that pic, it think it could be either species - not easy to tell, sorry. but ehichever it is, you've chosen a large and quick growing species.

btw my big geniculata is a bit nervous but not at all agressive. however, there are some agressive/defensive specimen in this genus, so you might want to keep your son from handling that t. at least while he is alone with it.

if you want something he will be able to touch from time to time, i'd go with a grammostola aureostriata. most specimen are incredibly docile and grow quite large, plus the slings are really cheap ;)
 

BinarySpider

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
37
geniculata/brocklehursti

The white is actually very very white. My camera is not the best and not the worst. After I figure out lighting with tarantulas future pictures should be better.

It was labeled a Giant White Knee in the store which it should be a geniculata. If it was labeled the Giant Black and White I guess it should be called the brocklehursti. I have noticed that many of the common names are presented in the stores instead of the scientific. A few times I have even seen stores use distortions of normally used common names. Some do not even know the scientific names.

You have all heard the one, "that is what it was sold to us as", lines from some of the employees. I guess that must make it OK to spread a possible mistruth then :rolleyes: ?

I took a drive to the next city yesturday and saw one labeld Brazilian Stripe. It looked very much like mine but the stripes were not as thick and it was more of a brownish color with the same long red hairs and a little bit larger than mine.

I think the person who sold me the geniculata/brocklehursti buys 5 or 10 smaller ones of the same clutch/species that are under an inch long and then raises them until the hit about 2 inches long. They are then sold for 25 to 50 a pop. Anyway this person said that they allways use a reliable source who breeds them but mine is still very small and very young so I am not sure yet. Either way it does has a nice home but I would like to know 100% for sure for my own knowledge of the exact species. They did have another one labled Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula which I am thinking about going back and getting it today. It did have very very thick purple hairs up and down the legs and it looked to be a little bit larger than my geniculata/brocklehursti that I just got. I will look at it again today and maybe think about it for a while.

BTW, if I even touch my geniculata/brocklehursti with a spoon handle it throughs hairs at me. In fact my finger is still itching from yesturday when it hit me with the hairs in the store. I know the bite of a tarantula is very painfull which is why I am very carefull. I had heard that the Indian pokie has a very nasty bite even hospital time for some adults as a result. Is this true about the regalis?

Thanks,

BinarySpider
 

golda

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
89
You mentioned something about the "brazilian stripe"? im guessing thats a Nhandhu Chromatus its common name is "Brazilian Red and White" but its sometimes called the " Brazilian Striped Bird Eater" with its furry red Abdomen, the leg bands and all. and yes as to what i know the poecilotheria sp. has a more potent venom than the terrestrial sp. :)
 

Alice

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
976
it is normal for nearly all acanthoscurria to flick hairs at the slightest provocation, but many get calmer when they are bigger.

as for all poecilotheria: many people will tell you that you can keep any t you want as long as you are respectful around it. in fact, poecilotheria are not very difficult when it comes to keeping conditions - just give them a vertical hide and mist regularly so they can drink and they will be fine.

BUT: i would not have felt confident enough to keep a pokie as my second or third spider. they are not as agressive as many people make you believe, but they are VERY nervous and lightning fast. and they will not hesitate to bite if you grab them or startle them.

all poecilotheria (including regalis) have a very potent venom that (need not but) can affect the bitten limb months after the actual bite. i have never been bitten, but many people will tell you it was the single most painful experience of their lives. just check under 'bite reports' in this forum! if you know the risk, are prepared to take it, and make sure that your little son NEVER gets the chance to try and grab that spider, a regalis is a good pokie beginner's choice. they tend to be a bit calmer than for example ornata, and they are cheap to boot.

still, i'd say go for the pinktoe - it is most likely an avicularia of some kind (though with these, it is impossible to tell the exact species without having the breeder or catcher at hand, and there are many hybrids around).
avics make great beginner's arboreals - they are beautiful, not as quick as pokies or psalmopeus. they don't flick hairs and very seldom panick.
 

ErikH

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Messages
841
It looks alot like my geniculata. Mine has never flicked hairs, but it has grabed the tongs thinking they were food, and has a surpisingly strong grip. It also frequently goes after the water stream from the eyedropper when I fill its dish. All in all, a wonderful species, nearly always visible, fast growing, and a terrific eater.
 

BinarySpider

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
37
cages

Here is the current cage that my geniculata/brocklehursti is living in...



This cage is the...

Medium All Living Things® Critter Totes

This animal was in the Mini All Living Things® Critter Totes in the store. I thought it would prefer some leg room. This peticular store does gives you the container along with the tarantula.

The other store that I went to yesturday out of town that had the T called a Brazilian Stripe actually wanted to put that tarantula in a paper box and keep their little plastic cup if I were to make a purchase. That seemed a bit on the cheap side condidering they wanted 70 bucks for a 2 inch long T. I think that if I had decided to get this animal for 70 bucks they should at least toss in the 50 cent cup and lid. Owe well for the next person who decides to buy it.

I also bought a 2x2x2 Black ABS connector for a hide a way from Lowes. It was only $1.78 plus sales tax. Obviously I will need a 4x4x4 Black ABS connector when this tarantula gets full sized...



I happen to have a couple of All-Glass 20L aquariums with all steel sreen lids. They are 30x12x12 inches. The screen is one_eighth_inch_steel_mesh on the lid top. They are brand new and have NEVER been used for anything. They only need some dusting since they have sat around for almost a year. Would one of those be OK for my geniculata/brocklehursti as a full grown adult or should I be thinking about a 40 gallon breeder???

BinarySpider
 
Last edited:

Ando55

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
488
20L is way more than enough, some owners go up to that size as their max for the biggest of Ts like their adult blondis and other behemoths such as your genic/brocklehursti. No need for the 40 gallon breeder at all that's a huge overkill. Also I suggest not to put the T in the 20L until it's adult size, too much room sometimes can result in a drawback such as a T not being able to find it's food or water source. I think it's fine what it's in right now until it packs on a few more inches. Your container (Medium Critter Tote) has a height of 6 inches, please be sure that there isn't a lot of open height as you do not want your T to take a fatal fall especially it being a terrestrial and being a big eater if fed often to have an abdomen that risks rupture. Try and get only 2-3.5 inches between the floor of the substrate to the top of the enclosure given your T has a 2inch legspan as stated. Congrats on your new T!:D
 

spid142

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 9, 2006
Messages
492
voracious eaters and flicking hairs

I agree, was poking in my genic's cage to fish out a crix carcass, and she ran down , grabbed the tongs, held it a second, then backed off as if to say 'hmph, this isn't edible':D so far in the last six days, she has eaten 4 large crix and shes only about 3-inch. Must be putting on food for a molt soon. And she flicks hairs fairly often. But they are nice display Ts, out about quite a lot with some personality.
 

vtecgsr

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 21, 2005
Messages
200
I would assume it is NOT an a. genic cause of the white banding... When i had my sub adult around that size it wasnt white banding but a subtle maroonish banding... im no expert, just my observation...
 

spid142

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 9, 2006
Messages
492
white banding

Mine definitely has had the bright white banding even at the smaller size when I got her, before she molted, so you think mine might be brockelhursti?
 

ErikH

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Messages
841
I don't know. My geniculata had white banding at that size.:?
 

BinarySpider

Arachnopeon
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
37
Top