Dining solifugid vid clip

[Blonc]

Hi everyone,

Whilst doing what I usually do when I'm bored out of my skull (i.e. surfing the internet looking for cool videoclips) I found the following clip of a solifugid eating. Hope this link works. I don't know if anyone has copywrited it though.

http://www.dumpalink.com/post/1125739085/Camel_Spider_Eating

 

[P. Novak]

dang very nice!! that thing is huge! ive always wanted one, but i heard they dont live long in captivity soo thats kinda keeping me from getting one.

 

[Steven Gielis]

They are not that difficult to keep. When you have the right enclosure. It's a fact that they don't live that long. But the big species live up to two years. That's not that short The secret of keeping them long is get them as young as possible. Those in trade are almost always fullgrown and than they yust have a few months left.
I am trying to breed solifugids so they can get available as "spiderlings".
I have already had succesfull mating, eggs and larvae.

 

[Garbonzo13]

Steven, I have a question from someone over on mantid forums who is keeping solifug's. He has one that has barackaded(sp?) itself into a retreat for 6 weeks now and he thought might have been pregnant. Is that usual for a solifug? Do you know of any informational sites I could look it up. Thanks, Greg

 

[Steven Gielis]

Do you have the name of the species? Normally they hide when they have to lay their eggs. But you must be lucky to have a fertile woman, otherwise she will die with the unfertilised eggs.

 

[Mr Rhaco]

Sexing?

Hi,

I was woundering how do you sex the solifugid's. I have one myself and i want to breed them.


Thanks,
Mr. Rhaco

 

[Steven Gielis]

Can you take a picture of the head of the animal from above? And also a picture of the entire animal. Males carry a flagellum, a smal modification of the chelicerae used in mating. But the flagellum is unique for every species and sometimes difficult to see.

 

[Garbonzo13]

Hey Steven I am waiting for a reply to where he found it and also for the permission to use his pic of it for I.D. purposes. I originally was asking if 6 weeks is to long for it to hide to give birth. It seems a bit to lengthy. I appreciate all your help, since I am the middleman. :wall:

 

[Steven Gielis]

Most females die after they have laid and protected their eggs. So maybe it is time to open the nest and take look. If the female is still alive you can leave everything. If she is dead and not fat anymore, than she was fertilised and she layed her eggs. If she is still fat she wasn't fertilized and died with the eggs in the ovaria.

 

[Garbonzo13]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v315/Interloper/Macro Pictures/IMG_1043.jpg Here is that pic Steve. Don't know the species but he found it in northern Utah. I'll relay the info. Thanks again.

 

[Steven Gielis]

That's certainly a female! All the little balls in the abdomen are eggs. Now it's waiting if she is fertilized. I'll look the species up for you.