Aphonopelma hentzi and anax

[CupcakeRosea]

Hi, I am really looking forward to getting both an A. Hentzi and an A. Anax. However, I am a little confused because everytime I try to look up pictures for one or the other, they're always different but the same between the two. One is really tan and fluffy, the other is lean with black legs and always pop up each search for both of them.
Do these guys look the same or are they a new different named species? I just need a little clearing up which looks like which :biggrin:.​

 

[Mariner1]

Birdspiders.com has good pictures of both. Swifts inverts has them for sale.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Do these guys look the same or are they a new different named species?

Yes, no, yes.

Yes, they do look the same. Both are Texas species of tarantulas that are various shades of brown and black.
No, Aphonopelma anax is not a new species as being officially described (although rather poorly) by Ralph Chamberlain in 1940.
Yes, they are a different species from A. hentzi.

Aphonopelma species will drive you mad and confuse you to no end because species groups all pretty much look the same. What I mean by species groups, for example, is that there are different distinct species that are blonde in color and come from the southwest USA and look like Aphonopelma chalcodes. There is a group of brown and black species from all over the USA and south towards Mexico that look like A. hentzi.

Please keep in mind there is no way to positively identify with any certainty Aphonopelma hentzi and Aphonopelma anax from a picture.

 

[awiec]

I'd give ya my baby A.anax(freebie) but you live a bit far and I don't think it would survive shipment (its the size of a fingernail).

 

[CupcakeRosea]

Mariner: Yeah, I saw them on swifts and I saw Hentzi on ken the bug guys and they look like different spiders. :/

Aphonopelma: Thanks for that! That kinda clears things up in my mind some. Is it almost like a Hentzi found in South Texas is an anax and an anax found in Oklahoma is a Hentzi? Lol. You are right though, they're driving me crazy.

Awiec: Man that would be really awesome. You're not terribly far away, kinda.

 

[awiec]

This genus is notorious for being hard to identify and they hybridize often enough to cause some confusion. I think I can see some slight differences in the carapace but the whole genus has such a large range that there could be local differences. Take P.mira (type of nursery web spider) for example, this species has almost 7 different morphs common to the US, my area has the silver and copper morph with a very distinct dark brown stripe outlined with a white one on the abdomen while some from the south have a spotted band or are the dark morph and the brown abdomen stripe is hardly noticeable.

 

[CupcakeRosea]

Aahhh, I think I'm understanding now. The localities of the same species may have a "morph" of some kind in color.

 

[awiec]

Aahhh, I think I'm understanding now. The localities of the same species may have a "morph" of some kind in color.

It could be or just because they hybridize in the wild but A.anax has a decent sized range so I wouldn't be surprised if there were local morphs. Of course it could just be some accidental mislabeling, I have what I have been told is an A.anax from a reputable breeder but its so small that it looks just like my N.chromatus of the same size, I probably will be 30 by the time I see its full colors, which I hope you are young when you get these as they are probably one of the longest lived genus of T's. There was a study on a female some time back, she was 27 when they were done and was still alive after they published. No one studies these thoroughly just cause they live forever in captivity.

 

[tonypace2009]

The aphonopelma sp. There was a thesises writen by someone named Chriss A Hamilton ht/www.8legs2fangs.com/Site/CV.html go to the thesis pdf and download this should shed some light on the aphonopelma sp. He als o shows species on maps worth looking at. He sheds some light on why this species is so confusing.

 

[CupcakeRosea]

Thanks guys for shedding a clearer light on these guys for me. Now I just need to order some while I am still young, lol.
I truly have fallen for the Aphonopelma sp.

 

[Texas T]

I have 5 anax and 1 hentzi. To me the anax is darker black and the hentzi is brown. I stopped a long time ago trying to figure out what are the differences beside the colors and if they are two different species or if they are the same species.

 

[Smokehound714]

The problem is, virtually every species of aphonopelma in the USA has a "blonde" morph, and they all look nearly identical. (But pet stores LOVE that! haha)