Buthus: Another brown widow

[antbebo]

My son and I were literally poking around in the dirt when we came across this beauty under one of the dirt clods. I saved her from his lashings and him from her possible bite. Are you interested?

 

[Pulk]

that doesn't look like a brown widow to me... pretty though

 

[antbebo]

She has a red/orange hourglass on the underneath of her abdomen. She just didn't want a pic taken of it, and I wasn't going to push my luck.

 

[spydrhunter1]

The male brown widows can have a dorsal stripe, but all the females I have totally lost them. Interesting...would make a great specimen for a breeding attempt.

 

[buthus]

Another possible hesp texanus. Barely hanging on to a few slings I have been raising from the last one ...they are not as tough as regular hesp slings and/OR I just got an unlucky brood.

Id love her ...shoot me a PM if/when you have the time to send. Not much for trades at the moment though ...but I can compen$ate.

 

[tin man]

you should keep her, Ive always wanted to keep one

 

[antbebo]

There are beautiful widows all over the place around here. Since trading with Buthus, I have since wanted more Ts and have become interested in scorpions. I set a jar (lid off) with some soil and a stick in it, from a spider that I let loose, on a shelf in our storage room. A couple of weeks later a black widow had made a web from the wall into the jar, so about once a week I toss a mealworm in it for her.

 

[antbebo]

Another possible hesp texanus. Barely hanging on to a few slings I have been raising from the last one ...they are not as tough as regular hesp slings and/OR I just got an unlucky brood.

Maybe you are treating them too well. Let me tell you what conditions they are used to. The temperature should be an average of 80 degrees year round, having 4 months at or above 100 degrees. Go for about 115 degrees ambient air temp, no heating mat required. If possible, the humidity should be in the negative numbers. Water loss should far outweigh water gain. The only supply of water will come from the insects they catch, most of which will bite back in return, including other widows, brown recluse, scorpions, WNV infested mosquitos, large parasitic dog ticks, Lyme disease carrying deer ticks, and the occasional rabid skunk or coyote. If you spray their enclosures, they will freak since they have not seen moisture coming from the sky in their entire lifetime. March through May and September should be incredibly windy most every day. A hair dryer on high should do the trick. Only four or five days of cold temps throughout the winter, but none together. One day 20 degrees, one day 80 degrees. That should do it!

 

[lhystrix]

Another possible hesp texanus.

This is a hesperus, and most likely juvenile.

Is texanus used as a 'trade name' for locality description?
I noticed the same with 'mactans something or other' in other posts.

 

[buthus]

This is a hesperus, and most likely juvenile.

Is texanus used as a 'trade name' for locality description?
I noticed the same with 'mactans something or other' in other posts.

Sorry... should have posted: hesperus "texanus".

This is (maybe) the only ID-able true hesp morph. First described: Latrodectus mactans texanus Chamberlin & Ivie
They tend to retain their 6th instar markings/coloration into adulthood. Finale molt can leave you with an amazing looking hesp!

Whether temps, food and other environmental conditions help with the retention of such markings has yet to be seen. Captive rearing in diverse conditions will tell the tale. But I do suspect this to be a true morph...and I hope to prove it either way sooner or later.

 

[Richard McJimsey]

also looks like a hesperus to me.....

 

[buthus]

also looks like a hesperus to me.....

Yep, everyone is in agreement ...hesperus.
I assume Antbebo uses the word "brown" as a description ...not as a common name for a specific specie ...ie "brown widow" (Latrodectus geometricus)

 

[tom]

latrodectus Id

I have seen Latrodectus geometricus with somewhat similar markings in Georgia. L.texanus was synomized by Herbert Levi as L.hesperus back in 1965.What a lovely spider, hope to see any spiderlings that emerge. Cheers .Tom