Is tarantula coloration effected by diet?

[IntermittentSygnal]

Arthropods without coloration have a translucent cuticle and mammals that don't have color have albinism and are white with red eyes. Tarantulas most certainly eat prey with color.



Unless something new has been published that I don't know about, the publications that describe structural color in tarantulas have not studied the cause of the earth tone colors such as browns, blacks, reds, oranges, etc. They only focus on iridescence. The hardened cuticle of a tarantula that is shiny black does get the color from melanin pigment so to infer that tarantulas only have structural color is false.

They cannot produce melanin, though they do ommochrome and bilin pigments. This article also discusses carotenoids that animals digest to produce color, which spiders do not have. Admittedly, this article focuses on true spiders, but also refers to Theraphosidae. Thank you for spurring me to look deeper.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bor-Kai-Hsiung/publication/265510393_Structural_color_and_its_interaction_with_other_color-producing_elements_Perspectives_from_spiders/links/541301a00cf2bb7347db17ae/Structural-color-and-its-interaction-with-other-color-producing-elements-Perspectives-from-spiders.pdf

 

[TheraMygale]

Arthropods without coloration have a translucent cuticle and mammals that don't have color have albinism and are white with red eyes. Tarantulas most certainly eat prey with color.



Unless something new has been published that I don't know about, the publications that describe structural color in tarantulas have not studied the cause of the earth tone colors such as browns, blacks, reds, oranges, etc. They only focus on iridescence. The hardened cuticle of a tarantula that is shiny black does get the color from melanin pigment so to infer that tarantulas only have structural color is false.

what i wrote was to give an exemple that many prey foods, are not as colorful as butterflies. yes i am sure they eat tons of colored prey depending on locality.

in captivity, we feed a lot of crickets. they dont have that many extra colors, and tarantulas still have their own shades. maybe its clearer now. if not, i think i don't have better english to express it.

 

[Arachnopotamus Rex]

I was told it was to do with light . Different light types make the hairs on the t's reflect different colours , there for make the t look like it has multicoloured hair .
My juvie pamphobeteus machala shows this real well with no light she is dark brown with redish floof on her booty but soon as the light hits her she is metallic pink .

Pic of maleficent just the room light.
View attachment 484873

And once the led torch light hits her.
View attachment 484874

As you can see she reflects pink. It just depends what sp you have as to what secret colour they have and what light shows it up

This is actually a really useful example choice because have a juvie P. machala as well, and it has a purple sheen on a chocolate brown body, but yours looks pinkish orange on black from the lighting change.