Introducing Xenesthis sp. megaseta

Jess S

Arachnobaron
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Mar 10, 2019
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572
Going by previous posts, I believe @c.h.esteban is a experienced taxonomist (though if I've got your profession wrong please correct me). So imo not a doubter, just a professional asking for more information and clarification to ascertain what this tarantula actually is.
It would be a dream come true for the hobby if you guys could get together, to get this gorgeous tarantula described.
 

Comatose

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
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Aug 25, 2004
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I’m thinking you meant who “smuggled” the pregnant adults and eventually introduced the babies to the hobby 😉.
There have been pictures posted of the species in his facility since 2018, and the image I posted is of a female with an eggsac in his care.

Are you playing? cause ive been seeing these Xenethis spp. pop up with some not being able to say what import they came from. So..... whats that say?
They came from my import via Boston Logan. Would you like to see an image of the box with USFWS tape from the inspection?

Going by previous posts, I believe @c.h.esteban is a experienced taxonomist (though if I've got your profession wrong please correct me). So imo not a doubter, just a professional asking for more information and clarification to ascertain what this tarantula actually is.
It would be a dream come true for the hobby if you guys could get together, to get this gorgeous tarantula described.
Can’t say I know what he or she does for a living as they didn’t introduce themselves professionally. I’m absolutely all about advancing taxonomy and knowledge of these animals; I’ve donated dozens of them during my time in the hobby. Of course, the user you mentioned can’t do a ton taxonomically by asking questions about them on a forum, and to actually ID is as a novel species the specimens would actually need to be collected in the wild, preserved and studied from there. Given that Pamphobeteus sp. Solaris remains undescribed despite Rick West’s involvement in discovering them I don’t hold out a ton of hope, honestly.
 

Jess S

Arachnobaron
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Mar 10, 2019
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572
I don't know about anyone else but I personally find it rather depressing that absolutely knockout species from genera like Pamphobeteus and Xenethis are so little described.

I'm aware Xenethis species come from a dangerous region so no hope for a bunch of scientists going there any time soon.

Whatever X sp megaseta is, the parents of this sac are jaw dropping. I would love to acquire one, but that will be several years off for me in the UK I think!
 

Comatose

Arachnobaron
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I don't know about anyone else but I personally find it rather depressing that absolutely knockout species from genera like Pamphobeteus and Xenethis are so little described.

I'm aware Xenethis species come from a dangerous region so no hope for a bunch of scientists going there any time soon.

Whatever X sp megaseta is, the parents of this sac are jaw dropping. I would love to acquire one, but that will be several years off for me in the UK I think!
For the most part they really aren’t that dangerous. Columbia is a pretty safe country these days, and knowing locals who can keep you out of unsafe parts helps.

I think the real challenge is financing and costs. There’s a reason at least two recently identified species have been smuggled themselves; international conditions are super conductive to discovery, particularly when it comes to creepy crawlies.

I am beyond stoked to raise these guys up. They are already pretty big, even for Xenesthis slings. This is a 2i individual. And before you make fun of the gloves please note that I was unpacking over 300 Theraphosa, Xenesthis and Pamphobeteus 😂

3E497F84-E8DE-46C0-844F-F70654EA8CF1.jpeg
 

AphonopelmaTX

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For the most part they really aren’t that dangerous. Columbia is a pretty safe country these days, and knowing locals who can keep you out of unsafe parts helps.

I think the real challenge is financing and costs. There’s a reason at least two recently identified species have been smuggled themselves; international conditions are super conductive to discovery, particularly when it comes to creepy crawlies.

I am beyond stoked to raise these guys up. They are already pretty big, even for Xenesthis slings. This is a 2i individual. And before you make fun of the gloves please note that I was unpacking over 300 Theraphosa, Xenesthis and Pamphobeteus 😂

View attachment 366860
Well now the name "mega seta" is obvious. :D
 

c.h.esteban

Arachnoknight
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Going by previous posts, I believe @c.h.esteban is a experienced taxonomist (though if I've got your profession wrong please correct me).
I make my money not with spiders. So i would say i am a hobbyist, highly interested in taxonomic questions, who do sometimes a little support for arachnid related reasearch.

I personally prefer to rate words according to their content and not according to the person or any introduction.

But back to the topic. Based on the knowlegde about the localities of some Xenesthis spp and the here given description of the area where those MEGASETAE should come from, there is theoretic a chance that these could be something different
 

Jess S

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
Messages
572
I personally prefer to rate words according to their content and not according to the person or any introduction.
Couldn't agree more. Your posts are so knowledgeable, I took you for a taxonomist. I hope you will always frequent these boards as you are a huge source of information and I am not embarrassed to say I have learnt a lot from you already.

Xenesthis sp. megaseta
View attachment 367217

Later, Tom
Hi Tom. Absolutely gorgeous! Can I ask if this is from one of your own breedings or an import? Thanks 🙂
 

kolaf3183

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 7, 2020
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2
Ohhh please new species - it's a XL intermedia! <edit>

No wonder no one in Europe has ever seen a "megaseta" because they don't exist <edit>
 
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Comatose

Arachnobaron
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Ohhh please new species - it's a XL intermedia! <edit>

No wonder no one in Europe has ever seen a "megaseta" because they don't exist <edit>
<edit> Do you think maybe the person who identified and introduced this species knows a teeny bit more about it than a person who found out about them yesterday?

Piss off.
 
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kolaf3183

Arachnopeon
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You are introducing a "new" species without evidence <edit>
 
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Comatose

Arachnobaron
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just from the pictures that i saw, it seems to me that there is a difference to intermedia into the scopula ;)
Appreciate the input :)

I’ll keep the pictures coming as they grow, and we’ll get some macro shots of legs III and IV posted as soon as they hit 2-3”.
 
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c.h.esteban

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@ kolaf3183

i see what i see, say what i see and try to be fair.
if you dislike this, you maybe acting just like that person that you criticize.
but feel free, to explain me your assumption. which features are the same like in intermedia?
 

Comatose

Arachnobaron
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@ kolaf3183

i see what i see, say what i see and try to be fair.
if you dislike this, you maybe acting just like that person that you criticize.
but feel free, to explain me your assumption. which features are the same like in intermedia?
I’ll get some close up pictures of legs III and IV on megaseta and intermedia and post them and you can let me know what you think. I’ve never mislead anyone in any of my dealings, and I value any input on née localities and species.

I don’t think the person above is posting in good faith - he used a different name and location on another forum to make the exact same accusations. It’s likely a dealer exploiting anonymity to cast doubt on competitors.
 

Frogdaddy

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I’ll get some close up pictures of legs III and IV on megaseta and intermedia and post them and you can let me know what you think. I’ve never mislead anyone in any of my dealings, and I value any input on née localities and species.

I don’t think the person above is posting in good faith - he used a different name and location on another forum to make the exact same accusations. It’s likely a dealer exploiting anonymity to cast doubt on competitors.
They came from my import via Boston Logan. Would you like to see an image of the box with USFWS tape from the inspection?
That means nothing other than they came into the U.S. legally. USFW is no more qualified to identify specific species than my car mechanic is. Many many species of dart frogs entered the U.S. simply by being labeled as a different species. USFW doesn't know, and can't differentiate different species.

To be honest that same shoe could fit your foot.
You posted the exact same info on the other forum using a different username. You list your location here as "The Shire", a fictional location from a book.

I could see people viewing you as the snake oil salesman. You started the thread here and on the other forum as nothing more than a sales tool trying to promote your alleged new species, all with no evidence, no locale information, nothing more than I trust the German that discovered it. So we must trust the word of the purer than driven snow, virginal German. Because we know their reputation is stellar as they've never smuggled ANY animal into captivity.
I didn't post here to rail on here or undermine your efforts, just to say this.
Keep this in mind. You're introducing this alleged new species into the hobby. The burden of proof is totally on you.
Pretty spider btw.
 

Comatose

Arachnobaron
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That means nothing other than they came into the U.S. legally. USFW is no more qualified to identify specific species than my car mechanic is. Many many species of dart frogs entered the U.S. simply by being labeled as a different species. USFW doesn't know, and can't differentiate different species.

To be honest that same shoe could fit your foot.
You posted the exact same info on the other forum using a different username. You list your location here as "The Shire", a fictional location from a book.

I could see people viewing you as the snake oil salesman. You started the thread here and on the other forum as nothing more than a sales tool trying to promote your alleged new species, all with no evidence, no locale information, nothing more than I trust the German that discovered it. So we must trust the word of the purer than driven snow, virginal German. Because we know their reputation is stellar as they've never smuggled ANY animal into captivity.
I didn't post here to rail on here or undermine your efforts, just to say this.
Keep this in mind. You're introducing this alleged new species into the hobby. The burden of proof is totally on you.
Pretty spider btw.
I've been here for 16 years. I've been on the other forum for 4. "The Shire" is New Hampshire, and I'm not misrepresenting anything. Just to be clear, you're suggesting that's "the same shoe" as someone who registers only to anonymously attack someone?

The USFW comment was in response to someone suggesting they were smuggled, not proof of the species. I posted the locality as I know it - in Columbia two hours from the Venezuelan border, and certainly you're aware that new animals rarely come with specific locality data, right? I also posted images of adults and morphological features that set it apart from other members of the genus. I'm not sure what other evidence you want; anyone who doubts this is more that welcome to simply not buy any.

Lastly, if you're going to suggest that I'm a snake oil salesman and that I'm equivalent to an utterly obvious troll, please at least don’t insult my intelligence by topping your comment off with "I didn't post here to rail on".
 
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Frogdaddy

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16 years huh? You must have built up quite a reputation on those 28 posts per year or 2.33 posts per month. Your name must just fall out of peoples mouths. My apologies, all hail the king of spiders.
 

Comatose

Arachnobaron
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Messages
506
16 years huh? You must have built up quite a reputation on those 28 posts per year or 2.33 posts per month. Your name must just fall out of peoples mouths. My apologies, all hail the king of spiders.
And what a tremendous payload of thread<pooping> you must have contributed to the hobby in your brief time here, sir. It's a shame I don't get to bump into you at parties; you seem like a super fun guy.
 
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BillsSpider

Arachnoknight
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Mar 8, 2017
Messages
154
Interesting read putting aside all the childish insults. Beautiful tarantulas although I am a bit biased loving anything Xenesthis. It will be interesting to see what shakes out when they finally get around to a Xenesthis revision , which are regional variants and which are actual separate species.
 
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