Avicularia metallica

[SkyeSpider]

This post is mainly for everyone who kept telling me that I don't know what Avicularia metallica (pet trade version, anyway) was ;P

I bought my A. metallica as "pinktoe" for $20 at a Petland. On her first molt, the dull dark blue became an AMAZING bright blue! I posted pictures on these boards, and everyone wanted to tell me that the fading patch of purple hair on her abdomen meant I had an A. avicularia.

She molted again this week. She's now up to 6.5" and the purple patch is almost gone! She's so pretty and unbelievably docile!

So I'll just leave everyone with a picture, and this quote: "Na na na na boo boo!"

-Bryan

 

[manville]

nice metallica but it still kindda looks like a avic avic though. looks nothing like mine at all. but i believe it is a metallica

 

[Waxen]

Bryan,

You can call that T anything you want and people can argue it's this species or that. I agree that it looks like a A. metallica to me but I'm a newbie. Needless to say it's a gorgeous T and you are one lucky guy to have it.


-Jason

 

[KZoo]

Ummm ... question??

I thought the A. metallica's were also known as "white-toes" - the ones I have seen advertised as adults, had VERY furry legs, the hair on them appearing to have a silver tinge, and the toes being white, not pink. Your baby is lovely, very lovely!! But it really DOES look like my A. avicularia I had, and all the pink-toes I have seen in GOOD condition had that metalic sheen to the carapace, too.

Am I wrong about the A. metallicas??

 

[Longbord1]

btw avic avics don't grow more then 4 inches as adults

its obviously a a metallica

 

[Zach33]

some of the care sheets i've read list avic avic females reaching 6 inches...

 

[manville]

If it grows that big it is probably a metallica because avics dont grow that big.

 

[Phillip]

Avic avic does grow larger than 4 inches.

The spider in the pic doesn't look to be 6 and 1/2 though unless you have freakishly large hands. I would have to see it on a ruler to believe it.

Phil

 

[David_F]

"The spider in the pic doesn't look to be 6 and 1/2 though unless you have freakishly large hands. I would have to see it on a ruler to believe it."

I actually have fairly small hands but i think from the corner of my hand to the tip of my little finger is at least 6"-6.5". Why would you think someone would have to have "freakishly large hands" for that spider to be 6.5"? We are talking about diagonal measurement from L1-R4 or vice versa aren't we?

 

[Hemolymph]

that looks exactly like my pink toe.
about the same size as well.

- jeni

 

[G_Wright]

Not A metallica. A metallica is more fluffy and white and has now red hairs.

My guess definitly A avic

 

[SkyeSpider]

Here's my take on this species issue.

Avicularia is a MESSED UP genus. Whoever classified it was smoking something funny You can already tell that when you realize that "avicularia" is latin for "bird eatting."

Avicularia avicularia, metallica, aurantiaca, braunshauseni, purpurea, and urticans are EXTREMELY similar. One may be more blue than the others, or have a different color here or there, or might just grow larger than the others. Essentially, they are all really geographical differences of the same species.

A proposed temporary fix that I've heard is to refer to these guys as Avicularia avicularia complex. It's extremely difficult to really tell them apart until they're fully mature, and even then the differences are negligable.

Another thing to note is that since these species are so similar, they hybridize with each other easily in the wild. That means you may get a wild caught A. avicularia that's really a mix of purpurea and avicularia. One day, you'll notice that it's got a faintly purple hue to it and the pink isn't as bright as you thought it was. So which one is that? Is it a purpurea or an avicularia? Why not just go by where it was collected? Oh, wait, they're from the same location... Hmmm... That doesn't work, now, does it?

I'm really done arguing what's what with Avicularia sp. My key point is that my spider is really pretty. She shows almost all signs of the pet trade's version of an A. metallica, but cost me a lot less. Other than that, I really have no point, here

-Bryan

ps~ She does have super fuzzy white hairs all over, but my camera is really crappy at showing that!

 

[Vys]

And a pretty girl she is

 

[David_F]

I agree with Bryan. Although I'm new to keeping Avics (of any species) I've notices that the differences in any species are very hard to detect unless you get them from someone you know who knows for a fact what species the spider is. My first post referred to a pet peeve of mine. It seems that the only way some people know to measure a T is with a ruler. While this may be the best (and that is questionable...why not use CM or MM instead) way to measure a T, how about measuring your hand to get a general idea of how big a spider is??? I've found that it is difficult sometimes to get a spider to pose for a pic next to a ruler.

 

[YZFR1]

It looks like a Goliath Bird Eater.

 

[siucfi]

Same looking avic.

I just picked up a pink toe from a pet store and she looks exactly like that pic. I am also trying to posatively identify her. This thread doesnt really help because it constatnly goes back and forth between avic. avic. and a. Metallica. None the less I am currentally asking mike at the spider shoppe and living terrarium in nashville, if he can give me a posative answer I will let you know.

 

[SkyeSpider]

My first post referred to a pet peeve of mine. It seems that the only way some people know to measure a T is with a ruler. While this may be the best (and that is questionable...why not use CM or MM instead) way to measure a T, how about measuring your hand to get a general idea of how big a spider is??? I've found that it is difficult sometimes to get a spider to pose for a pic next to a ruler.

I agree 100%. I've NEVER gotten a good photo by a ruler of ANY of my spiders. They either won't stretch out, or they run from it. Either way, it doesn't work.

My hand, from the side of my thumb to my wrist (where she's walking) is 4.5". She's far from stretched out. Her molt was 6.25" (I've thrown it away, so duh for not getting a picture of it), so I'm estimating the size change on the low-end.

-Bryan

 

[Arachnogeek]

My A. metallica

Here she is...isn't she pretty!

 

[Phillip]

I actually have fairly small hands but i think from the corner of my hand to the tip of my little finger is at least 6"-6.5". Why would you think someone would have to have "freakishly large hands" for that spider to be 6.5"? We are talking about diagonal measurement from L1-R4 or vice versa aren't we?


While I agree that many folks have hands in the 7 inch range going from palm to fingertip the spider in the pic isn't covering the whole hand. It is instead standing on the wrist which unless one is huge isn't nearly that length.

The reason I always suggest a ruler being used is that it takes out the human error factor of over estimating. You will find that more often than not when someone actually measures a T it turns out to be smaller than the eyes lead one to believe it is.

Phil

 

[DE3]

All I can say about the first one is it's a female.

How about "white-tipped and fuzzy" 2nd one.