Fort Worth Brown?

ErikH

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My son's school has a small zoo, containing various species of lizards, snakes, rodents, and a couple of birds. Recently they aquired two tarantulas. The tanks are not marked with scientific names, just common ones. One is labeled as "Chilean Rosehair" or something like that, and certainly looks like a g. rosea. The other, a juvenile guessing from the size,(somewhat smaller than the rosea) is labeled as a "Fort Worth Brown", and is, indeed a chocolate brown. If it is indeed a Texas species, it must be Aphonopelma, but which one?
 

ErikH

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Thanks! I am going to try to talk to the teacher who runs the zoo about the pitfalls of using common names.
 

ErikH

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I was looking at photos on another website, and I think the tarantula they have at the school looks more like a. hentzi than a. clarki. :?
 

reclusa

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Most common sp we have is A hentzi. "Oklahoma Brown". Brown to black with red hairs on abdomen. Very docile tarantula.
 

ShadowBlade

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Well, I only gave you the Sci. name for the Fort Worth Brown. I have no idea what species they actually have at the school. Probably just an Aphonopelma sp. caught in Texas or something.

-Sean
 

CedrikG

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Heum ... Its easy ... if its brown, IT IS an African species!




:D
 
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Brian S

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I was looking at photos on another website, and I think the tarantula they have at the school looks more like a. hentzi than a. clarki. :?
There is a 90% chance its A hentzi
 

ErikH

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There is a 90% chance its A hentzi

After looking at more photos, it could be a. clarki. Short of sending an exuvium to an expert, I guess I'll try to talk her into aphonopelma sp. and leave it at that. I haven't had the opportunity to ask her where she bought it, but I suspect it was Lee Watson's Reptile Swap. Botar and a few other reputable invert dealers are often there, but there are dealers there of questionable reputation too.
 

Mina

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She might have bought it not knowing anything but the common name she was told. I've been going to Watson's a long time now and there are people there unlike Jansen's Exotics, Botar, and Theraphosid who have only one or two T's for sale and tend to not know what they are. I had a guy the last time I was there try and sell a "baboon spider" which was really a G. rosea to me.
If it is truly from the Fort Worth area, it is probably either A. hentzi, or A. anax. Good luck in talking her into posting the scientific names on them, I hope it works.
 
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