costa rican zebra???

[LAking]

Hello. I'm a reptile enthusiast who is very interested in adding a tarantula to my animal collection. Based on what i've seen and read the Costa Rican zebra sounds like a species i might want. I work at a pet store, and just this week we got in what the sellers SAID was a costa rican zebra/striped knee. However, upon comparing it to pictures of other costa rican's, i'm not quite sure if it is. Can they ever be brown? This one is a somewhat dark brown, with barely visibile stripes on it's knees. All the pictures i have seen are of more black tarantulas with much more visible stripes. Do they get brown before a molt? Or are these morons totally wrong about the species (and that wouldn't surprise me)? I have seen a picture of a costa rican zebra with a discarded brown molt before, so that is why i ask. Thanks for the help.

 

[conipto]

Aphonopelma seemani ranges from vibrant black/whitish, to greenish/white, to plain brown you can barely see stripes on.. However, even rose hairs have that striping to a much lesser degree, so make sure it isn't one of them.

As an aside, If you like the A. seemani (common names a dime a dozen for this one) look into E. campestrus. the colors are much more vibrant, and it's reputedly the most docile of them all. If you search the dealer reviews you should feel pretty secure about ordering one online. I know last time I saw him, Art Cerda at Midwest Exotics had a few adults for really good prices.. I'm sure a few of the other dealers may as well.

Compare photos of them, there should be quite a few in this forum if you search for PZB or Pink Zebra Beauty.

Bill

 

[Buspirone]

Does it have a light flesh colored underside?

 

[Mendi]

IME there are 2 color forms of A.seemanni, the brown and the black. The later are the prettier ones, and nicer for display. Neither versions are a great T for handling as they are very nervous. If your looking for one you can handle, follow Bill's idea and look into a Pink Zebra Beauty. These get pretty big, very colorful, and if you want one to handle occasionally. Though if you are just wanting a Zebra, they are a pretty good T to have. And aren't a bad choice to start with as their care is relatively easy and don't tend to stay in their hide all the time

 

[LAking]

Thanks for the replies. I'm guessing the tarantula we got really IS A. seemanni. THere is a rose hair in the cage next to it and it's definately a different species. I'm not really sure if i care about handling my T. I've got to get more confident with the idea first. However it doesn't sound like a bad idea to at least KNOW i can eventually handle it if i so desire. First and foremost i would like to get a good looking spider. If there is one thing i love about "alternative" pets is that they can bo so beautiful and unique. Unfortunately i don't think i have ever seen the PZB on our reptile supllier's price sheet. It would be great to get one at wholesale. Anyway, thanks for the info. Once i know what i'm getting i'll be back to get recomendations for the best set up.

 

[That Guy]

Has your rosie gone through red phase? And if you know what it is, are you going to buy it?

 

[LAking]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean when you say red phase. I'm new to tarantulas. Do you mean post molt?
I'm really not sure about buying yet. If the PZB is so much more docile than the costa recan zebra than maybe i'll go with a PZB. However it seems that it's a little harder to find the PZB opposed to the costa rican. Also, i'm not sure if i really think the PZB is any better looking than a nice black/grey costa rican. Unfortunately, the costa rican at my work isn't all that pretty.

 

[Mendi]

Not too long ago we had the post with pictures of some of our PZBs, and there are pics of a couple slings and at least 2 adult females... Check both 1st and the 2nd pages

http://arachnopets.com/arachnoboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8078

As for the red form G.rosea, it is a another a type of G.rosea that has more red tint to it's hairs... Kinda like the brown and black color forms of A.seemanni. You can get an adult PZB for around $25+shipping with several of the online dealers that advertise here if you find that you like their looks and decide to get one.

 

[siucfi]

costa rican zebra versus rosey

In my collection I have both a costa rican zebra and a chilean rose hair. From my personal experince the costa rican zebra is much more skittich and aggresive than the rosey. Despite the fact that the rosey is not as much a piece of "eye candy" as the zebra mine is very docile and very friendly. I would personally recommed that you start with the rosey and then get the zebra next.

 

[Phillip]

From my understanding the color variation in seemani can be tied in with the locale. The ones actually from Costa Rica are black where ones from other areas tend to be brown.

Other than having a strong flight response they make great captives. They are not prone to biting and are easy to keep.

Phil

 

[David_F]

Qoute: "From my understanding the color variation in seemani can be tied in with the locale. The ones actually from Costa Rica are black where ones from other areas tend to be brown."

If I'm not mistaken the darker form comes from Costa Rica. I have a lighter, almost brown, example that I think is from Honduras. I may be wrong. Either way, they are a great T to start with.

 

[Lopez]

Search for a post on the subject by Garrick, I'm sure he's observed these in the wild and made a few comments here.

 

[Mendi]

Also note that the color variations can be from bleaching. My second, a WC adult was quite light brown when I first got her, after her molt she was as black as the other one. Though this happened with my A.seemanni, don't look for it, as they really are different color phases in this species. It is great when they change colors with a molt though

 

[MichaelH]

I can understand the confusion when it comes to identifying between A. seemanni and E. campestratus. I bought my A. seemanni recently and then got confused and thought it was actually an E. campestratus. A member on another board pointed out to me that the A. seemanni have the peachy/tan colored underside and spinnerettes whereas the E. camp does not. So, I'm happy to say I have an adult A.seemanni that is VERY docile and not skittish at all as I have heard many are. And, it eats like a pig too.
I'm now waiting for it's next molt to verify the sex. I'm pretty sure its female but the minute I claim it to be so it will molt into a male probably...lol.