grammopolice
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- May 4, 2020
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I bought a tarantula care book as a teen (Tarantulas and Other Arachnids: a Complete Pet Owner's Manual, by Samuel D. Marshall) that said this about Aphonopelma chalcodes: "An additional advantage to owning the blond tarantula is that their urticating hairs are not usually irritating to humans. Research suggests that the hairs are shaped to offer defense against predation by grasshopper mice."
Many years later, I'm doing research for my first t, and I assume most of that book is dated. But that claim was interesting and specific enough for me to remember it, so I looked to see if I could find any other info. I found a 2019 article, "Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy."
journals.plos.org
I skimmed it, but it honestly went above my head somewhat. But I did find Figure 1, a chart of previously described setae types by genus, interesting, since it lists Aphonopelma as only having Type I setae.
This page (http://www.theraphosidae.be/en/vogelspinnen/brandharen/) sites a 2013 article (https://www.scielo.br/pdf/zool/v30n4/v30n4a06.pdf) and describes Type I setae as "Very effective against invertebrates, both actively and passively in webs and cocoons. Some larva are being perforated and killed by setae type I."
I looked through some old threads here, and it seems like different people have different reactions to different types of setae, but most people have a worse reaction to Brachypelma, for example, than Grammostola. But according to the chart, Brachypelma have type I and III hairs, and Grammostola have III and IV (by the older classification than the one the 2019 article proposes). If type I isn't as bad for mammals, like humans, shouldn't more people react more strongly to Grammostola than Brachypelma? Or is type I itchy for most people after all, or is it more due to some other factor like amount of hair/location of it/behavior of the tarantulas?
So ultimately, these are my questions:
1. For those of you who've been haired by Aphonopelma or got exposed via cage cleaning, how bad is it, especially compared to other tarantulas?
2. If Aphonopelma do have irritating urticating setae, I'm more interested in Grammostola species, especially porteri, pulchripes, and pulchra. Would the larger size of pulchripes and pulchra make their setae more irritating than the porteri? Do those three species have significantly different behavior, especially in relation to how much they line their habitate with setae, or is there more variation between individuals vs species?
3. I also like Tlitocatl albopilosum, but I know they used to be considered Brachypelma. Are their setae as irritating as Brachypelma setae, or would I be less likely to have problems?
I know this is a long post, and thank you in advance if you read through it and share your experience. Also, as a forum newbie, hello and nice to meet you!
Many years later, I'm doing research for my first t, and I assume most of that book is dated. But that claim was interesting and specific enough for me to remember it, so I looked to see if I could find any other info. I found a 2019 article, "Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy."
Urticating setae of tarantulas (Araneae: Theraphosidae): Morphology, revision of typology and terminology and implications for taxonomy
Tarantula urticating setae are modified setae located on the abdomen or pedipalps, which represent an effective defensive mechanism against vertebrate or invertebrate predators and intruders. They are also useful taxonomic tools as morphological characters facilitating the classification of New...
journals.plos.org
This page (http://www.theraphosidae.be/en/vogelspinnen/brandharen/) sites a 2013 article (https://www.scielo.br/pdf/zool/v30n4/v30n4a06.pdf) and describes Type I setae as "Very effective against invertebrates, both actively and passively in webs and cocoons. Some larva are being perforated and killed by setae type I."
I looked through some old threads here, and it seems like different people have different reactions to different types of setae, but most people have a worse reaction to Brachypelma, for example, than Grammostola. But according to the chart, Brachypelma have type I and III hairs, and Grammostola have III and IV (by the older classification than the one the 2019 article proposes). If type I isn't as bad for mammals, like humans, shouldn't more people react more strongly to Grammostola than Brachypelma? Or is type I itchy for most people after all, or is it more due to some other factor like amount of hair/location of it/behavior of the tarantulas?
So ultimately, these are my questions:
1. For those of you who've been haired by Aphonopelma or got exposed via cage cleaning, how bad is it, especially compared to other tarantulas?
2. If Aphonopelma do have irritating urticating setae, I'm more interested in Grammostola species, especially porteri, pulchripes, and pulchra. Would the larger size of pulchripes and pulchra make their setae more irritating than the porteri? Do those three species have significantly different behavior, especially in relation to how much they line their habitate with setae, or is there more variation between individuals vs species?
3. I also like Tlitocatl albopilosum, but I know they used to be considered Brachypelma. Are their setae as irritating as Brachypelma setae, or would I be less likely to have problems?
I know this is a long post, and thank you in advance if you read through it and share your experience. Also, as a forum newbie, hello and nice to meet you!
