L. malayanus and L. murphyorum questions.

[ragnew]

Hey guys,

I just got my trapdoors (L. malayanus and L. murphyorum) and had a few questions about these two awesome spiders. I recieved them today, and as expected they're not doing a whole lot, just kind of hanging out in the corners of the enclosures.

My L. malayanus is right around 1 1/2 " - 2" and he's in a medium sized critter keeper w/ sloping substrate and two pieces of cork bark. The L. murphyorum is quite a bit smaller, right around 1" in total. He's housed in a small critter keeper w/ sloping substrate and a few fake leaves scattered about as well. I'm hoping the added structures will entice these two into starting their burrows, but as I've read, it seems like they can take quite a while to acclimate to a new enclosure.

The substrate is the expandable coco-fiber and it seems to be retaining the moisture quite well. Nice humidity levels and all.

My daytime temps. are probably going to be right around 78 degrees, while the night temps. seem to drop down to about 68 - 71 degrees. Will these drops be okay? Or should I invest in some sort of a heating unit for these two during night hours?

Also, when do you think I should try to feed them? I was thinking about trying to feed them tonight, but I honestly don't think I'd have very good results, as they just want to be left alone.

Thanks for all the info.

 

[Iggy]

As far as burrow starting goes, I have found with mine that if you offer a "starter" hole (stick your finger an inch or so back not down into the soil on the slope) they should have a burrow within a week, complete with trip lines. Left to their own devices I had one L. malayanus take 2 months to get around to digging a burrow.
In regards to the temps that you posted I would not worry about the night drops, both species are found above sea level and they dig burrows deep enough to keep themselves cooler. I have read that their burrows have been recorded as being 10 degrees Celsius below the ambient air temp outside of the burrow. I have all of mine in a room that can range from 68-72 degrees F and they are doing great. I would try to keep them from getting much warmer than the low to mid 80s F (ambient air temp).
I have noticed as far as feeding time goes they seem to feed the most aggressively just after dusk or right at first light. I have found that if they are fed in the middle of the night or in the afternoon more often than not the food item won't be eaten until later on. Once they have established a burrow if you look closely you will see that the door will seem to be lifted just a bit with a small gap between the door and the ground when they are waiting for prey. At other times the door will seem to be "sealed" shut. Since yours have not burrowed yet try feeding them when there is very little else going on around them and just let them be, if they don't eat take out the food and try again in a day or so. After you get them feeding I have found that they don't need much food as they grow VERY slowly and do not molt frequently. I feed mine once every 10-14 days and occasionally I have had individuals skip a feeding making their feeding monthly with no ill effects that I have seen. I hope this helps a bit, and congratulations on your new charges! Iggy

 

[beetleman]

yeah, i have both sp. aswell,awesome spiders! 1 still comes out of the burrow and hangs out,sometimes days then goes back down,the other is always in the burrow. good luck w/them:clap:

 

[ragnew]

Cool, thanks much for the info guys! These spiders are definitely one of the coolest things to keep!

 

[8+)]

L. malayanus at least, lives on mossy slopes. Place some wet "green moss" around the starter hole and they will incorporate it into their door.

With the last batch I received, I made fairly deep starter holes. Then I funneled them into a tube and dropped them right into their holes. They went right in and stayed. Then I arranged the moss so that it created a flap over the hole.

All of them soon made their door and lines with this setup. Except one, she came back out and I saw her eating a cricket. Then I saw a molt in the enclosure, but couldn't find her. Later I found her under some moss, dead. I guess she had a bad molt?

Anyway, I've read that their molting cycle can effect burrowing instincts in Mygalomorph traps, and that often they won't make a new burrow until they molt. I think that is why a starter holes help, and I think the same applies with these Mesothelae.

 

[Vietnamese510]

so

soo trapdoors molt oustside of there hole even with the hole made?

 

[ragnew]

Alrighty, the L. murphyorum made a burrow while I was at work today, but the L. malayanus hasn't done anything yet.

I also noticed an area on the underside of one of the L. malayanus hind legs that seemed to be having dirt stick to it (almost like it was bleeding from one of the joints). I gently removed the dirt, but couldn't see any blood, or any kind of a wound either. However, the dirt still clumps under that leg, so I'm thinking there is an injury somewhere. The spider walks fine and all, but I'm almost positive there is a slight injury somewhere. I looked at the abdomen, and it's just fine.

Any ideas? I've just left the spider alone (no food in it's enclosure) to see what would happen.

 

[Iggy]

Has the L. malayanus been doing any digging at all? How wet is your substrate? I have seen them get covered in substrate if it is wet, it almost looks like breading on fried food. If you don't see anything wrong and it is not showing any symptoms, my guess would be that the substrate is on the wet side and it happens to be kicking dirt by that part of the leg and getting an accumulation stuck in its hairs. I would just keep an eye out for anything unusual. Have you tried to feed it since you noticed this? Try giving it a small prey item, but keep an eye on it, it is probably easiest to do this in the dark with a red light to avoid disturbing the spider. If it does not eat in 45min -1hour take it out and try in a day or 2. Hope this helps, let me know what happens. Cheers Iggy

 

[ragnew]

Damn

I don't know guys, I'm worried that my L. malayanus is on it's way out It's in the same corner of the tank that it was in this morning (5am) and it looks like it's legs are starting to curl under it's body.... It's still upright so that wouldn't be it getting ready to molt would it?

Well, at least my L. murphyorum is kicking some buttock. Made it's burrow on day 2 and is right at home. I REALLY hope my malayanus pulls through, if not, I WILL get another. They're too darn cool to give up on.

 

[Vietnamese510]

dam

damm dude best wishes to it hope it will make it through!

 

[ragnew]

Hey thanks for the kind words Vietnamese. But unfortunately the spider didn't make it. This was the second L. malayanus that didn't thrive when I got it, so I'm thinking third time's the charm....

But hey on the brightside, my little L. murphyorum is doing great! So I'm very, very pleased with that.

Well, I'm off to clean the Budgett frogs tank.

 

[Tescos]

Hi
have you any pic of the L. murphyorum ? also the L. malayanus come to that.
Cheers
Chris

 

[ragnew]

I don't have any pics of my own spiders. But this thread has a few pictures of both L. malayanus and L. murphyorum on page 10.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=84529

Very, very primative looking inverts!

 

[8+)]

soo trapdoors molt oustside of there hole even with the hole made?

No, when they are established in a burrow they will molt inside, but if they are removed from their burrow, sometimes they will wait until they molt before making a new burrow.

 

[Vietnamese510]

hmm

No, when they are established in a burrow they will molt inside, but if they are removed from their burrow, sometimes they will wait until they molt before making a new burrow.

hmm so then how would you take out the old molt? or just leave it in there?

orr doi they push it out?

 

[beetleman]

hmm so then how would you take out the old molt? or just leave it in there?

orr doi they push it out?

yes they push it out,they like to keep their burrows pretty clean,that's how i know all of mine molted,besides they stop feeding aswell.

 

[Tescos]

I don't have any pics of my own spiders. But this thread has a few pictures of both L. malayanus and L. murphyorum on page 10.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=84529

Very, very primative looking inverts!

Hi

Cheers for the links. I do have a suspicion though that the one labeled as L. murphyorum may in fact not be this species. I am not betting my life on it as I could be very wrong but I think that this could also be L. malayanus only a juvenile.
For the owner of the L. murphyorum on this thread:- could they try and get a few pics up of their specimens if possible and also if possible say where they were collected from?

All the best
Chris

 

[ragnew]

Hi Tescos,

I'll try to get a pic of my L. murphyorum when I have the chance. The little guy/gal is always in it's burrow and I only see glimpses of it when it darts out to grab the food item(s). I could dig it up, but I'm not really wanting to stress the spider to get pics.

The spider was collected somewhere from Malaysia. I purchased it from an online dealer so that's about all I can say for sure. I have had a few younger L. malayanus, and from the little ones I've had, the L. murphyorums are much, much different. Not only in color and markings, but in size as well.

 

[Iggy]

Chris, If you want to see some really nice pics of L. murphyorum check out Randy May's site savagedigital.com in his gallery section. To try to answer your other question as far as where exactly they are collected from it is hard to be totally sure, but they are found in a small area of northern Malaysia. So the possibilities are not that vast. Cheers Iggy

 

[Tescos]

Hi Iggy

The only location that is known to date (as far as I am awhere) for L. murphyorum is Penang island about 3/4 of the way up the west coast of Malaysia. This is partly one of the reasons for some of my doubts on the identifications for the ones shown in the pics, because if these have been recently collected and in what seems to be good numbers I am very suprised that L. desulter which is a much more attractive and I think larger species has not also hit the trade, as they can both be found on this Island.

On the other hand L. malayanus can be found almost all over central Malaysia ands have a very wide range. In the far north however there is L. yangae but I have doubts that this has been collected.

There is one good way to check the identification though or at least be able to say if it is or isn't L. murphyorum , and that is by looking for four small lobes on the anterior margine of the poreplate (at least in females) and if it has them then it is one.
Cheers for the link to that site btw. Really nice pics on the whole site but dam the web site layout is pants!:wall:

@ Re-Aligned. No real bother if you can't it is still a nice spider all the same but if you do happen to get a chance try for a ventral pic.

Anyways there is a real good chance I am wrong on this but still....

All the best
chris