How can you tell when adult?

electra

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 29, 2006
Messages
19
I did a search on this topic, but didn't find a lot to help me. I am reading that G. pulchra are rare to find, I have one, here is a pic taken yesterday. He is about 5 inches long. What characteristics does an adult display? How do you tell if you are looking at an adult or a sub-adult? I have only 5 and all are being raised from slings, I have not had an adult to learn from. And at what point can I send him out for mating?


 

Alice

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 29, 2006
Messages
976
are you sure it's a 'he'? unlike females, adult males are easily spotted: with their maturing molt, they develop hooks on the first pair of legs and bulbi on their palps. you cannot miss those boxing gloves when you look at him. for females, adulthood is more difficult to determine. i go by the rule: when her carapax is as big as the mature male's, she's ready to breed - and thus adult (as this term refers to sexual maturity and not to size).

at 5", you look at about another molt, mostly two, before your pulchra is adult. if it's a male, it is certainly not adult (refering to the pic). i bred my female at about 5.5 inches, and hope she's pregnant right now.
 
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