Emerald skeleton (E. uatuman)

[invertepet]

You don't see these often in the hobby, so here's a couple of pics of what I suspect is a recently WC female adult. Looks like they hang on to the pinkish legs and golden-yellow-green abdominal coloring which cyanognathus tends to lose. This girl is a little sluggish from the trip, otherwise I'd never be able to get these pics (they're too damned fast)!

 

[invertepet]

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[Raveness]

That is so beautiful love it

 

[invertepet]

One more... this shows the almost arboreal look to the legs - thick tarsal padding and exceptionally long Legs I + II. Very typical Ephebopus body structure.

 

[JacenBeers]

I love those black markings on the carapace. It gives it an almost rustic feel. I dont know why.

 

[Tarantula Lover]

Originally posted by invertepet
You don't see these often in the hobby, so here's a couple of pics of what I suspect is a recently WC female adult. Looks like they hang on to the pinkish legs and golden-yellow-green abdominal coloring which cyanognathus tends to lose. This girl is a little sluggish from the trip, otherwise I'd never be able to get these pics (they're too damned fast)!

Hey, That T is awsome!! How much does it web? Great PicS!!!

James

 

[conipto]

Does this T have the urticating hairs on the palps like the other Ephebobus? Also, I don't see much in the way of 'skeleton' markings, is this just a pic of one before an immenent molt or?

Bill

 

[Immortal_sin]

It looks like the Jaguar of the T world! Long, low, sleek, and FASSSTTTTT!!!

 

[invertepet]

The mottling is most likely due to shipping and packing rubbing some of the dense hairs off the prosoma. Other images of uatuman I've seen show a fairly uniform coloration there.

Not sure when this spider is due for a molt!

 

[JacenBeers]

I agree with Conipto. It doesnt look very skeleton like at all.

 

[invertepet]

It's true, this Ephebopus doesn't have the leg striping of murinus or rufescens. Exactly why this and cyanognathus have earned the surname 'skeleton' is a mystery to me... Some dealer somewhere decided it would be so, apparently.

bill

 

[Joy]

Originally posted by invertepet
It's true, this Ephebopus doesn't have the leg striping of murinus or rufescens. Exactly why this and cyanognathus have earned the surname 'skeleton' is a mystery to me... Some dealer somewhere decided it would be so, apparently.

bill

My bet would be because the better-known E. murinus is called skeleton tarantula, and somebody decided to emphasize the family connection. Thanks for posting the pictures. I've never seen one of these before. It's an interesting and attractive tarantula. What kind of vivarium are you using? Am I wrong in supposing this species would be a burrower like E. murinus?

Joy

 

[invertepet]

E. cyanognathus is what I'd consider an obligate burrower... Deep and far. But E. murinus, although it also burrows, seems more gregarious, especially when hungry. So far what I've been noticing with uatuman is similar, but with a stronger tendency to hang out along the top of the enclosure, almost arboreal-like.

My experience is that many terrestrial spiders will do this for whatever reason (maybe they don't like the substrate, or are in premolt and instinctively avoid the ground and predators). I do know that with many different theraphosids, the wetter the enclosure, the more likely they are to seek higher ground (I'm not talking about flooding the tank)... And the drier, the more likely to burrow and regulate their environment that way.

Certainly, some otherwise burrowing/ground type T's seem far more ready to take to the 'trees' so to speak than others... Like Ephebopus, Cyriopagopus and even some Pterinochilus, for example.

bill