I see, so it's not like female tarantulas then. Thanks!Yes, all true spiders stop molting once they reach sexual maturity.
Most but not all. There are some haplogynes, like Kukulcania, that continue molting past maturity (at least as females). My mature female Kukulcania hibernalis molt about once a year. (Once they molt, they can't produce additional egg sacs without mating again.)Yes, all true spiders stop molting once they reach sexual maturity.
Dadgummit! As soon as I had hit the "post" button on my answer, I thought "aw man, why did I say ALL true spiders? There are prolly some exeptions!"Most but not all. There are some haplogynes, like Kukulcania, that continue molting past maturity (at least as females). My mature female Kukulcania hibernalis molt about once a year. (Once they molt, they can't produce additional egg sacs without mating again.)
Just curious, how long has your Kukulcania been alive? I've had a few, but released them after doing some presentations, so I've not seen how long they last.My mature female Kukulcania hibernalis molt about once a year.
They are extremely long-lived for true spiders. I caught some adult females five years ago, and they are still going strong. Given how long they take to mature (the two I kept from a 2012 brood are not yet full grown), I would not be surprised if they lived 10+ years.Just curious, how long has your Kukulcania been alive? I've had a few, but released them after doing some presentations, so I've not seen how long they last.
Reviewing my records, I did have one make a fertile egg sac six days after molting. The eggs must have already been developing by then, as the time between mating and making a sac is at least 3-4 weeks. (She mated 17 days before molting.) However, it's my understanding that fertilization usually occurs as the eggs are being laid, so I'm not sure what was going on there.Also re "Once they molt, they can't produce additional egg sacs without mating again"- Interesting info! I hadn't thought about that.