Help me ID please!!

[Wolfspidurguy]

He has only been in captivity for about two days now as well

Well actually he might be a she... you see spiders have two little things on there face that look like legs called "petipalps" but most true spiders unlike tarantulas can be sexed using there petipalps.

You see petipalps are actually sex organs meaning they pretty much just rub these things against the others petapalps and BOOM! You have a preggo spider. Males actually store sperm in there palps and females receive sperm into there palps. Because males store sperm in there palps they have "boopers" (that's what I call them) on the end of there palps where the sperm is held this is pictured above. This is how we tell the difference my friend: males have boxing glove boopers and females dont, now let's take a look at your spiders petipalps.

You see how there's no booper? That's how I know you have a girl. Hope you enjoyed this spider sex ed lesson

 

[goodkidvin]

Well actually he might be a she... you see spiders have two little things on there face that look like legs called "petipalps" but most true spiders unlike tarantulas can be sexed using there petipalps.
View attachment 266004
You see petipalps are actually sex organs meaning they pretty much just rub these things against the others petapalps and BOOM! You have a preggo spider. Males actually store sperm in there palps and females receive sperm into there palps. Because males store sperm in there palps they have "boopers" (that's what I call them) on the end of there palps where the sperm is held this is pictured above. This is how we tell the difference my friend: males have boxing glove boopers and females dont, now let's take a look at your spiders petipalps.
View attachment 266005
You see how there's no booper? That's how I know you have a girl. Hope you enjoyed this spider sex ed lesson

Thanks for taking the time in typing all of that, I really appreciate it. I hear that females actually tend to live longer than males, is this correct?

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

Thanks for taking the time in typing all of that, I really appreciate it. I hear that females actually tend to live longer than males, is this correct?

Yes that is usually the case and they tend to get bigger too

 

[goodkidvin]

Yes that is usually the case and they tend to get bigger too

How often should I feed her? Sorry if I am probing for too many answers, if you know where I can find the answers on my own, just tell me where to go on that as well. Thank you man!

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

How often should I feed her? Sorry if I am probing for too many answers, if you know where I can find the answers on my own, just tell me where to go on that as well. Thank you man!

Na man I'm here to answer questions so ask away. I would say once a week would be good. You can tell if it's hungry based on the size of its abdomen (it's butt) the smaller the abdomen the more hungry it is

 

[The Snark]

S/he is going to need some recharging as the web progresses. It's unlikely at this juncture that it can be overfed. That web, the agelenid's magnum opus. If forced out of their web, or it gets destroyed, each successive web is significantly smaller, essentially handicapping the spider and often shortening it's life.

I like the call @Ungoliant made. I was looking for the usual tell tale spinnerets.

(Bug Guide image)

How these spiders make their webs, how they execute them, is something I've always been curious about. And that web is going to tell a tale of how the spider is doing and how contented it is.
And now the OP has this world unfolding before their eyes. Perhaps, with some luck, this is a female that has already mated.
OP, relax. Enjoy the show, the introduction to this world. Diving into keeping a T is a great idea with a lot of support available, but a lot of pitfalls await as well. Enjoy your new companion and just read the signs, see what comes about.

A very enjoyable thread and another convert who has gone beyond those childhood arachnophobic fears, expanding their world of natural history thanks to one of the most remarkable and beneficial animals on the planet.

 

[goodkidvin]

Na man I'm here to answer questions so ask away. I would say once a week would be good. You can tell if it's hungry based on the size of its abdomen (it's butt) the smaller the abdomen the more hungry it is

Well, three hours later and that small cricket is completely gone. I thought that there was going to be some sort of carcass left behind, because tarantulas leave a carcass. But nope, she ate everything including the head. Good girl!

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

Well, three hours later and that small cricket is completely gone. I thought that there was going to be some sort of carcass left behind, because tarantulas leave a carcass. But nope, she ate everything including the head. Good girl!

Did you see her catch it

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

Well actually he might be a she... you see spiders have two little things on there face that look like legs called "petipalps" but most true spiders unlike tarantulas can be sexed using there petipalps.
View attachment 266004
You see petipalps are actually sex organs meaning they pretty much just rub these things against the others petapalps and BOOM! You have a preggo spider. Males actually store sperm in there palps and females receive sperm into there palps. Because males store sperm in there palps they have "boopers" (that's what I call them) on the end of there palps where the sperm is held this is pictured above. This is how we tell the difference my friend: males have boxing glove boopers and females dont, now let's take a look at your spiders petipalps.
View attachment 266005
You see how there's no booper? That's how I know you have a girl. Hope you enjoyed this spider sex ed lesson

Actually just found out that's not exactly how mateing works with true spiders but I don't wanna type out another essay so close enough

 

[goodkidvin]

Did you see her catch it

Sure did. I put the cricket in and it moves around for a little bit, but once it hit the web, she just started towards it and took it down in less than two seconds.

 

[The Snark]

but once it hit the web,

That gives a wonderful example of the coadjuvancy and synergy of a spider and it's web. Almost a symbiosis.

 

[Smokehound714]

Calilena. a medium-sized agelenid related to Hololena. can be told apart from hololena by the larger size. Easily mistaken for agelenopsis- the short spinnerets, unlike agelenopsis, which has long spinnerets.

 

[The wolf]

Actually just found out that's not exactly how mateing works with true spiders but I don't wanna type out another essay so close enough

The male stores the sperm in his palps and then puts into the females epigyne and often a little part of the male palp breaks off meaning the female can have no more partners then she lays the eggs

 

[Ungoliant]

Do you have any suggestions? The thing that is really a turn off for me is that if I purchase a $40 tarantula, I’m going to have to pay $35 for shipping. That just irks me, but I also somewhat understand.

If you are truly averse to shipping, your options are limited to whatever local pet stores and dealers may be in your area. I would also recommend checking out local exotic pet shows in your area, as they often have at least one or two vendors with tarantulas. (I rarely leave Repticon without a tarantula or two.)

If that doesn't work, you'll have to bite the bullet and pay for shipping. It is often possible to find shipping that is lower than $35. (Additionally, ordering more than one tarantula from the same seller makes shipping more economical per tarantula.)

Don't overlook our Classifieds section. You'll find lots of tarantulas for sale by businesses and hobbyists. (You can't post replies in the Classifieds section. Contact the seller by sending a private message or using whatever contact method is specified in the thread or on the reviews page.)

If you are looking for a particular species, search Classifieds for the scientific name. The genus name is often abbreviated to the first initial, so if you are not finding results with the binomial, such as Grammostola pulchripes, try just the species name, such as pulchripes. (Be aware that there are some species that share the same species name but belong to different genera, so check the genus before ordering.)

Whether you're buying from someone here or another Web site, you should read reviews here before ordering. (When you're reading a classified ad, you can quickly find the seller's review page by clicking the user name and then clicking "Reviews & Reports Page.")

Google is another way to find red flags, but I would disregard positive reviews on any site where the company being reviewed has editorial control (for example, on the company's Web site or on a Facebook page owned or moderated by the company).

Note: Many people recommend against buying tarantulas from stores that primarily deal in reptiles, as they often don't know what they are doing, and it's anyone's guess whether you will receive the species and gender you ordered.

As far as beginner species are concerned, @EulersK made these videos highlighting some beginner species:

@Tomoran also has these recommendations for beginner species:

Well actually he might be a she... you see spiders have two little things on there face that look like legs called "petipalps" but most true spiders unlike tarantulas can be sexed using there petipalps.

That difference in pedipalps does not manifest until the male is penultimate (one molt away from maturity). At the penultimate molt, the male's palps will be swollen but translucent with no definition. Once he matures, the palps are sclerotized (hardened) with the required anatomical details for storing and transferring sperm to the female.

Before the penultimate molt, an immature male will look the same as an immature female.

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

That difference in pedipalps does not manifest until the male is penultimate (one molt away from maturity). At the penultimate molt, the male's palps will be swollen but translucent with no definition. Once he matures, the palps are sclerotized (hardened) with the required anatomical details for storing and transferring sperm to the female.

Before the penultimate molt, an immature male will look the same as an immature female.

how is it that every time i have a decent understanding of spiders @Ungoliant drops a knowledge bomb on me. CURSE YOU UNGOLBURG!!! seriously tho thanks for correcting me i would never of guessed that

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

View attachment 265896 Hey everyone I am completely new here, and especially new to the world of collecting spiders. This is my first post, but I was sleeping yesterday and my son noticed that spider was crawling next my foot. We caught it, build an enclosure for it, and I just need to know what kind of spider we are dealing with. If anyone can help me ID this little guy, I would really appreciate it!

He is a dark brown color with white dots going vertically down his abdomen parallel for me Joe there. He also has white striped legs.

I was gonna say it looked like amaurobius ferox but after seeing the subsequent pictures, I think it's a wolf spider of some sort, possibly a burrowing wolf spider but don't quote me on that.

 

[The wolf]

I was gonna say it looked like amaurobius ferox but after seeing the subsequent pictures, I think it's a wolf spider of some sort, possibly a burrowing wolf spider but don't quote me on that.

Always read the whole thread

 

[goodkidvin]

Update!!:
I think she may be feeling much better! For days she was really lethargic, and staying to one side of her enclosure, but now she is all over; putting web over everything! She’s a little fatty though; two sm. crickets in a few days. Definitely not going to feed her for another 5 days or so though. Maybe she will eat large ones?

 

[Ungoliant]

Maybe she will eat large ones?

She might if she feels like her webbing sufficiently subdues them. However, smaller crickets are fine too.

 

[The Snark]

Don't waste her energy or jeopardize her health if you can avoid it. Small easily subdued prey is always preferable.