Cal. brown tarantula

[Penney W.]

I have a California all brown female tarantula, I had her for about 5 months,
she molted last week and came out all black she is a female.
I was wondering does anyone know why they change colors like this?
She's a very pretty black with some ling brown hairs on her abdomen.
Thanks!

 

[arachnopunks]

Doea it look like the photo in this link: http://www.birdspiders.com/archive/2/0014.htm

 

[WYSIWYG]

Originally posted by Penney W.
I have a California all brown female tarantula, I had her for about 5 months,
she molted last week and came out all black she is a female.
I was wondering does anyone know why they change colors like this?
She's a very pretty black with some ling brown hairs on her abdomen.
Thanks!

I usually find that quite a few species gradually turn an icky brown when it's close to molting time. I got an A. seemani awhile back and it looked pretty brown to me. I couldn't really figure out what the attraction was until it molted a couple weeks ago. Now it's a beautiful blackand white striped critter with no trace of brown.

Wysi

 

[atavuss]

Originally posted by Penney W.
I have a California all brown female tarantula, I had her for about 5 months,
she molted last week and came out all black she is a female.
I was wondering does anyone know why they change colors like this?
She's a very pretty black with some ling brown hairs on her abdomen.
Thanks!

hey Penny, are there any tibial hooks or enlarged pedipalps? sounds like it may be a mature male. the local male t's in the foothills here in central california are brown and tannish when mature.
Ed

 

[Penney W.]

I had a look at that site but it's not like that one, it's more like this one.
http://www.birdspiders.com/archive/1/0132.htm
Thanks!

 

[arachnopunks]

Nice T. Is it a female? Do you ever go out on "spider hunts" at night? In Florida we don't have any native species of tarantula but there is a feral colony of Brachypelma vagans in Fort Pierce, FL. I guess someone let some go down there and the t's just liked it.

 

[Penney W.]

Hi Ed,
Nice to hear from you again,
no she don't have hooks or enlarged pedipalps she is a female.
I do have another one that is 2 inches that just molted and it is a smoky black with brown bands on it's legs with black feet this one has no hooks yet but from the old skin it looks to be a male not mature yet.
It's beautiful!
>hey Penny, are there any tibial hooks or enlarged pedipalps? sounds like it may be
a mature male. the local male t's in the foothills here in central california are
brown and tannish when mature.
Ed

 

[Penney W.]

Na! we don't go out tarantula hunting where we live too many rattlesnakes and sidewinders around here out in the canyon, I would love to!
I heard about the vagans in florida I have 4 of them.
Penney

 

[WYSIWYG]

Originally posted by Penney W.
I had a look at that site but it's not like that one, it's more like this one.
http://www.birdspiders.com/archive/1/0132.htm
Thanks!

That's what I was thinking it was!

One of the common names for it is "California Ebony" though I understand Aphonopelma smithi also has the same common name. They're from around San Diego area. I have a sling of the one you pictures. I had others, but traded them away and kept "Slick"

Wysi