cobalt blue-is this male or female? pics included

[ch4dg]

hi everyone,
newbie here

i was wondering if anyone is able to tell me whether this is a male or female.

i was sold it as a h.lividum adult female its about 3inches possibly 3.5(legspan) the ad said 4-5 but its way smaller then that, but as you can see there is no sign of any blue colouring, is it more likely its a male as they're brown once fully matured or if it is a female will the colours show later at a certain age
or is it possibly a Haplopelma Sp. "Vietnam"??

i'll try and get more pics if needed once its settled in a bit more

any help or suggestions welcomed
and thanks in advanced

 

[Shell]

Male H. lividum are only sexually dimorphic once they reach maturity, up until then males and females look the same, blue coloring and all. I would say that spider is definitely not H. lividum. As to what exact species, I sometimes have a tough time with some of the other Haplopelma, so hopefully someone else will have an idea for you. Sex...not sure, wrong side of the spider.

 

[ch4dg]

thanks

some extra pics just incase these help

i know in some pics there some blue highlights but i was using a torch plus the flash on the camera and the bathroom is blue so could be from a mixture of these

 

[RJ2]

Def not H.lividium.

 

[vickywild]

That doesn't look at all like H.Lividum.

This is my h.lividum:

No idea of sex though, and I ain't picking it up and turning it over to find out.

 

[Huzi]

Yes definitely not H.lividum could be H.minax .

 

[Shrike]

Could this tarantula be in the genus Cyriopagopus rather than Haplopelma? I'll admit I don't have experience with either genus so I might be going out on a limb.

Edit: I was thinking paganus previously. I just did a quick search on Cyriopagopus vs Haplopelma and realized I'm in over my head.

 

[fatich]

As a reference :

Haplopelma lividum - male

 

[Shell]

To save confusion, it should be specified that that male lividum, is a mature male. Prior to maturing, the sexual dimorphism is not noticable.

Just so anyone not familiar with how it works doesn't get confused. Prior to the male maturing, he will look the same as a female.

 

[Everway9]

Hi. I dont think its a H.minax. I'm not that experienced though. I thought H.minax had legs that are a dary grey nearly black. Please corrent me if i'm wrong.

 

[happysmile88]

Another mystery Haplopelma sp. that will probably never be identified but remain as a wonderful addition to any collection? :3
Looks very much like a H.vonwirthi to me though.

 

[curtisgiganteus]

C.paganus does not exist as the holotype can not be found. Since we havr nothing to compare this spider to in regards to C.paganus we can not call any spider c.paganus. your spider looks like H.vonwirthi or H.minax

Reference pics for H.vonwirthi

 

[curtisgiganteus]

C.paganus does not exist as the holotype can not be found. Since we havr nothing to compare this spider to in regards to C.paganus we can not call any spider c.paganus. your spider looks like H.vonwirthi or H.minax

Reference pics for H.vonwirthi

View attachment 98252
View attachment 98253

 

[ch4dg]

thanks for all the replies,

its a nice T but just a bit anoying when i saved for so long to get a adult female cobalt, and it turns out i got i spider no-one knows what it is....and no where near as blue

 

[curtisgiganteus]

How much did you pay if i might ask?

 

[Shrike]

C.paganus does not exist as the holotype can not be found. Since we havr nothing to compare this spider to in regards to C.paganus we can not call any spider c.paganus. your spider looks like H.vonwirthi or H.minax

Reference pics for H.vonwirthi

View attachment 98252
View attachment 98253

Thanks for the extra info Curtis. As soon as I looked into it further I realized I'd entered unfamiliar territory.

 

[ch4dg]

it was £40,i have no prob spending that on a cobalt but just abit annoyed tha it possibly wont be one,

 

[curtisgiganteus]

You dont have a Cobalt, can you send the spider back?

 

[k2power]

Singapore blue? Lampropelma violaceopes although not leggy enough but I don't know the species well enough except that they look similar to Haplopelmas. Cool spider though. Blue is always good on a tarantula.

 

[Lopez]

Def not H.lividium.

You sound very sure of yourself.

That doesn't look at all like H.Lividum.

Not at all?

Yes definitely not H.lividum could be H.minax

What is it in those images that makes you think it is "definitely" not H.lividum but possibly H.minax?

Looks very much like a H.vonwirthi to me though

Remind me never to buy an H.vonwirthi from you

You dont have a Cobalt, can you send the spider back?

He doesn't? I didn't realise this had been confirmed!

Singapore blue? Lampropelma violaceopes although not leggy enough but I don't know the species well enough except that they look similar to Haplopelmas.

Are we just picking names out of a hat now?


ch4dg:
If you would like my opinion, (and it is just that - an opinion, based on keeping many and viewing hundreds of these over the years, not a seemingly black and white answer like those given by the people above in such an assured fashion) then I believe there is a very good chance your spider is an H.lividum.

To be more confident I would want the spider to moult first. Wild caught, and heavily pre-moult H.lividum range from black to a pale tan, and are easily confused with H.longipes. Colour cannot really be relied on to identify a spider, it's not a stable enough character - although in freshly moulted examples it certainly gives us something to go on.

Look at leg IV on your spider. You will notice it has quite "chunky" rear legs, with enlarged metatarsal scopula that wrap around the leg. Is leg IV longer than leg I? It's hard to tell in your images. If so, this would rule out H.vonwirthi and H.minax, leaving you with 2 strong contenders:

H.lividum
H.longipes

I have seen many H.lividum as pale as yours over the years, so my opinion is that you should wait until it moults again before having another think. Care for all Haplopelma in this group is roughly the same, so in the mean time enjoy your spider.