Amblypygid Species Identification?

[isopodluvr]

I purchased this lively creature today from a pet store, the buy was a bit impulsive but I knew I had all the necessary supplies required to house a whip scorpion. However, im having some difficulty finding the exact species for this arachnid. Any ideas?

 

[Edan bandoot]

I've seen pictures of Damon medius that have the red arms but i can't remember the locality.

There are other damon that have the red arms aswell, but it's most likely a medius locality if you got it from a petstore.

Could also be E.baccillifer or Phynichus but you'd need @wizentrop or someone like him to be 100%.

You'd need close-up pictures of the trocanter spines for a 100% ID from them.

Nice find, keep him very moist.

 

[isopodluvr]

I've seen pictures of Damon medius that have the red arms but i can't remember the locality.

There are other damon that have the red arms aswell, but it's most likely a medius locality if you got it from a petstore.

Could also be E.baccillifer or Phynichus but you'd need @wizentrop or someone like him to be 100%.

You'd need close-up pictures of the trocanter spines for a 100% ID from them.

Nice find, keep him very moist.

Thank you. For keeping it moist, will keeping his substrate hydrated + including a water bowl be enough or should I also be minimalizing ventilation+ spraying the tank

 

[Edan bandoot]

Thank you. For keeping it moist, will keeping his substrate hydrated + including a water bowl be enough or should I also be minimalizing ventilation+ spraying the tank

I keep my diadema moist with a waterdish and i spray it sometimes. I've seen it drink from the dish and the spray droplets.

My setup is average ventilation, but no top ventilation.

 

[wizentrop]

That's a D. medius for sure.

 

[paumotu]

I've seen pictures of Damon medius that have the red arms but i can't remember the locality.

There are other damon that have the red arms aswell, but it's most likely a medius locality if you got it from a petstore.

Could also be E.baccillifer or Phynichus but you'd need @wizentrop or someone like him to be 100%.

You'd need close-up pictures of the trocanter spines for a 100% ID from them.

Nice find, keep him very moist.

This is most certainly a Damon Medius, with the locality (judging by the red pedipalps) being (probably) Benin. A while back a decent bunch were imported from there with this coloration.

 

[Edan bandoot]

This is most certainly a Damon Medius, with the locality (judging by the red pedipalps) being (probably) Benin. A while back a decent bunch were imported from there with this coloration.

Amblypygid with red pedipalps

I recently acquired this specimen from the local reptile shop. They only get the usual medius in, but received this guy and I’m a little stumped. Said he hasn’t molted in their care and have had him for about a month. Has anyone encountered this before? I’m wondering if it’s caused by injury...

arachnoboards.com

They're easy to confuse, I said it was most likely a medius aswell.

The one's from cameroon also have red arms, but im unsure if those are medius or some other Damon sp.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

Thank you. For keeping it moist, will keeping his substrate hydrated + including a water bowl be enough or should I also be minimalizing ventilation+ spraying the tank

Ventilation should be restricted, substrate should be moist at all times. Misting a portion of the climbing surface once in a while to give it something to drink is nice (they usually prefer to drink from droplets on the wall rather than water dishes). Don't rely on misting to maintain moisture levels, though. Plenty of threads here that will help you create a good enclosure - if you want advice/feedback, feel free to post a photo of your setup.

 

[isopodluvr]

Ventilation should be restricted, substrate should be moist at all times. Misting a portion of the climbing surface once in a while to give it something to drink is nice (they usually prefer to drink from droplets on the wall rather than water dishes). Don't rely on misting to maintain moisture levels, though. Plenty of threads here that will help you create a good enclosure - if you want advice/feedback, feel free to post a photo of your setup.

I'd love feed back. Here's the best picture I have on hand atm. This is a 20 gallon tall tank, the substrate is mostly just dirt, there's a pathos planted in there and 2 peice of bark/log/corkboard up against the left back corner. On of the peices fits almost perfectly into the corner and the tws likes to hide behind that and the wall. There's also a very shallow water dish on the right side in the substrate. I keep it at room temp (roughly 70 degrees) and I have a heat gun yo make sure it dosenr become too hot/cold. This is my first time setting up for one of these guys so I'm completely open to constructive and polite feedback ^_^

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I'd love feed back. Here's the best picture I have on hand atm. This is a 20 gallon tall tank, the substrate is mostly just dirt, there's a pathos planted in there and 2 peice of bark/log/corkboard up against the left back corner. On of the peices fits almost perfectly into the corner and the tws likes to hide behind that and the wall. There's also a very shallow water dish on the right side in the substrate. I keep it at room temp (roughly 70 degrees) and I have a heat gun yo make sure it dosenr become too hot/cold. This is my first time setting up for one of these guys so I'm completely open to constructive and polite feedback ^_^

You’ve provided a terrestrial setup for what is essentially a wall-dwelling animal. It’s not an enormous problem necessarily (by which I mean it won’t pose a health or safety hazard to your amblypygi), but the animal will not use roughly 90% of that space. Amblypygi typically do not spend time on the ground unless they are dehydrated. It will just be a large area where prey can hang out to evade capture. If you want to use this enclosure, there are two different ways you can change it to make it more appropriate for your critter:

Option 1: modify the enclosure to be vertically oriented (i.e. stand it on one end). This would require you to create a half-wall and access panel on the front (currently the top) of the enclosure. Then you’d add taller cork pieces to use the full height. Obviously this will require a bit of work, but it will give the most appropriate enclosure for the animal you have.

Option 2: put in a larger backing panel that spans more of the full width of the enclosure and also goes all the way to the top of the enclosure. You can also add styrofoam or cork to part of the roof to give a horizontal moulting option. Styrofoam is often the better choice as it’s really easy for them to hook onto for moulting and it’s lightweight enough that it’s easy to adhere to glass or acrylic with double-sided tape or glue.

Whichever way you decide to go, you definitely want to ensure that the animal has at least one high surface it can moult from with lots of clearance underneath. They can moult vertically but it’s often easier if they at least have a diagonal overhang.

 

[Edan bandoot]

I'd love feed back. Here's the best picture I have on hand atm. This is a 20 gallon tall tank, the substrate is mostly just dirt, there's a pathos planted in there and 2 peice of bark/log/corkboard up against the left back corner. On of the peices fits almost perfectly into the corner and the tws likes to hide behind that and the wall. There's also a very shallow water dish on the right side in the substrate. I keep it at room temp (roughly 70 degrees) and I have a heat gun yo make sure it dosenr become too hot/cold. This is my first time setting up for one of these guys so I'm completely open to constructive and polite feedback ^_^

I use a glass terrarium with a wire lid like you, but I flip it so that it stands tall.

I glued corkwood to the bottom of the terrarium( the back for me) so they had a climbing surface. I'd recommend styrofoam as a backing instead though, no chance to mold with styrofoam.

I lean a piece of corkbark against the back so that they have a dark place to hide and a molting surface, but it's not necessary.

 

[isopodluvr]

You’ve provided a terrestrial setup for what is essentially a wall-dwelling animal. It’s not an enormous problem necessarily (by which I mean it won’t pose a health or safety hazard to your amblypygi), but the animal will not use roughly 90% of that space. Amblypygi typically do not spend time on the ground unless they are dehydrated. It will just be a large area where prey can hang out to evade capture. If you want to use this enclosure, there are two different ways you can change it to make it more appropriate for your critter:

Option 1: modify the enclosure to be vertically oriented (i.e. stand it on one end). This would require you to create a half-wall and access panel on the front (currently the top) of the enclosure. Then you’d add taller cork pieces to use the full height. Obviously this will require a bit of work, but it will give the most appropriate enclosure for the animal you have.

Option 2: put in a larger backing panel that spans more of the full width of the enclosure and also goes all the way to the top of the enclosure. You can also add styrofoam or cork to part of the roof to give a horizontal moulting option. Styrofoam is often the better choice as it’s really easy for them to hook onto for moulting and it’s lightweight enough that it’s easy to adhere to glass or acrylic with double-sided tape or glue.

Whichever way you decide to go, you definitely want to ensure that the animal has at least one high surface it can moult from with lots of clearance underneath. They can moult vertically but it’s often easier if they at least have a diagonal overhang.

I am aware that the the tanks shape is not the most appropriate for this animal but it's all I had, i plan on buying an a vertical tank when I have the money. I beleive there are places where the tws will be able to molt, such as under a peice of cork bark leaned diagonally against an upright peice. I will add more places however.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I am aware that the the tanks shape is not the most appropriate for this animal but it's all I had, i plan on buying an a vertical tank when I have the money. I beleive there are places where the tws will be able to molt, such as under a peice of cork bark leaned diagonally against an upright peice. I will add more places however.

Yeah, this one will definitely work with some more climbing surfaces. Just make sure there's enough clearance for it to hang upside down in a few places. Moulting amblypygi kinda dangle and let gravity do the work.

Glad to see you've made a nice moist environment for it. Your new friend should do well.

 

[Kibosh]

I got my D. medius back in March and it's been thriving. Molted once and it used the horizontal piece of bark. Mine uses every bit of the tank. More climbing space the better. Though from my research they are happy with just a large angled piece of styrofoam. Pieces are glued in place.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I got my D. medius back in March and it's been thriving. Molted once and it used the horizontal piece of bark. Mine uses every bit of the tank. More climbing space the better. Though from my research they are happy with just a large angled piece of styrofoam. Pieces are glued in place. View attachment 398281

Do you have it on dry sand??? How are you maintaining the humidity the animal requires to survive and moult?

Edit: otherwise this looks like a good enclosure setup - I'm just concerned about moisture since these animals require a quite moist environment.

 

[Kibosh]

Do you have it on dry sand??? How are you maintaining the humidity the animal requires to survive and moult?

Edit: otherwise this looks like a good enclosure setup - I'm just concerned about moisture since these animals require a quite moist environment.

No I keep the sand soaked. Had a theory that mold would have more trouble growing on wet sand then coco fiber or topsoil and so far it's holding true. I keep it's enclose very moist and have yet to have any mold problems. It's also never on the ground anyway and I've never had a problem maintaining the humidity in there. Just keep the sand soaked, large water dish, and I spray some water droplets on the bark for it to drink once a week. Eats great, molted once already with no problems. Seems to be thriving with the sand sub.

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

No I keep the sand soaked. Had a theory that mold would have more trouble growing on wet sand then coco fiber or topsoil and so far it's holding true. I keep it's enclose very moist and have yet to have any mold problems. It's also never on the ground anyway and I've never had a problem maintaining the humidity in there. Just keep the sand soaked, large water dish, and I spray some water droplets on the bark for it to drink once a week. Eats great, molted once already with no problems. Seems to be thriving with the sand sub.

Gotcha. That's a relief! Glad to hear it's doing well