help to identify Damon species and sex

[orphique]

hi, can anyone help me to identify Damon species and sex? should be Damon medius (variegatus?) and hope for a male... skin on photo... thank you

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

I can’t tell from this photo. To sex Damon (or any phrynichid), you’re looking for a small cluster of short red hairs at the opening of the genital operculum - you may need a magnifying lens if your phone can’t take macro photos. See this photo by Jordan Cadiot for reference.
Most Damon sold in north America are D. medius, which have 2 white bands on the femur of each walking leg, or D. diadema, which have 3. I don’t see any bands in your photo (they’re often only visible on the dorsal side) and I’m not sure which Damon species are available in your region. You may need to take some dorsal photos and a clear, close-up photo of the pedipalps to get an accurate species ID from one of our resident experts.

 

[orphique]

hallo, thank you very much for info... my goal was and is to mate them, but now the export is restricted, the sellers often have no idea, what they are selling, and the diagnosis is not easy, so i have actually two problem.... 1. the one on that photo should be D. medius and i am hoping for male... he belongs to someone else with who i am trying to arrange meeting (mating ... 2. mine [on the picture attached here] is female for sure, while having already several times eggs... but i am not sure if it is medius too [eventhough i can see two stripes] or some member of variegatus group... could you help me also with this? thank you...

 

[Albireo Wulfbooper]

It looks like medius to me, but I am far from expert, so wouldn’t base breeding decisions on my ID! @wizentrop or @Banshee05 should be able to positively ID.

 

[Banshee05]

For sure no member of the variegatus species group, even Eastern African species! So yes, most likely D. medius. Damon johnstonii are also quite easy distingshuiable from D. medius and other western African species, as the frontel processs is well pronounced and visibible from above.
I did get also ones an so far unidentified Damon species from Cameroon, either tibialis/ uncinatus or (what I guess curently) something new, however, this species/ populations looks different to yours.
As usual, picture ID are hard and can be wrong. It is all about comparision.
e.g look at my Damon species fotos,

Damon species – Amblypygi – whip spiders

www.amblypygi.org

if you ones have seen a real member of the variagetus group in situ, you well never ever mix them up with diadema, or western African species.

 

[Edan bandoot]

For sure no member of the variegatus species group, even Eastern African species! So yes, most likely D. medius. Damon johnstonii are also quite easy distingshuiable from D. medius and other western African species, as the frontel processs is well pronounced and visibible from above.
I did get also ones an so far unidentified Damon species from Cameroon, either tibialis/ uncinatus or (what I guess curently) something new, however, this species/ populations looks different to yours.
As usual, picture ID are hard and can be wrong. It is all about comparision.
e.g look at my Damon species fotos,

Damon species – Amblypygi – whip spiders

www.amblypygi.org

if you ones have seen a real member of the variagetus group in situ, you well never ever mix them up with diadema, or western African species.

Which would you consider the largest Damon

 

[Banshee05]

fff, from those I kept, medius and johnstonii.
tibialis got also very big, but I never kept them that long as the others, thus, the onoging growth was maybe not at the 'final' end. All southern African species are quite small compared to the others, brachialis, annulatipes, variegatus, sylviae,... all 1/3 or less the habitus-size of a johnstonii (round about)