Male? And female? Damon diadema

[Ihuicatl]

Im hoping i made a pair but im not sure the supposed males pedipalps are as long as the joint but thats it. I checked underneath him and the female and it looks different so i think its a male. What do you guys think any help would be great.

Thank you,
Ryan male? female

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

Sadly, I'd say no. A rule for these guys is if the "pitchers" extent past the 1st set of legs when they are at rest, then they are usually if not always male and vise versa. Of course this depends on your size and age of the specimen, but they both look male to me. The first one is definitely male, but the 2nd one is debatable. Sorry, but I don't think it's a pair.

 

[Ihuicatl]

"Male on the left, female on the right. There's nothing to say, I think all is clear."

Lorelei.


I used this picture to identify from the bottom and matched them exactly. Im just curious if that is a reliable way of sexing in the first place. Also i forgot to mention the supposed female has what looks to be small eggs underneath her. The problem is that she has never mated that i am aware of and she also has molted since i have had her.

Thank you,
Ryan

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

"Male on the left, female on the right. There's nothing to say, I think all is clear."

Lorelei.


I used this picture to identify from the bottom and matched them exactly. Im just curious if that is a reliable way of sexing in the first place. Also i forgot to mention the supposed female has what looks to be small eggs underneath her. The problem is that she has never mated that i am aware of and she also has molted since i have had her.

Thank you,
Ryan

If that's correct then yeah. As long as they are "of age" which they look to be, then that is a mostly reliable way to tell. Although, take my advice with a grain of salt as I'm only considering getting these and have never owned them. Just researched them a lot

 

[Ihuicatl]

If that's correct then yeah. As long as they are "of age" which they look to be, then that is a mostly reliable way to tell. Although, take my advice with a grain of salt as I'm only considering getting these and have never owned them. Just researched them a lot

I totally respect anyones opinion that has researched them enough so thank you for your time. Im hoping to have a family of them soon in a vivarium.

Ryan

 

[WeightedAbyss75]

I totally respect anyones opinion that has researched them enough so thank you for your time. Im hoping to have a family of them soon in a vivarium.

Ryan

That sounds really awesome. Thinking of communal as well.

 

[Aquarimax]

Here is the most recent molt of one of my D. Diadema. Based on the photos above, she appears to be a female. What do you think?

 

[Ranitomeya]

That molt is of a male. You will see differences on the underside before the pedipalps are noticeably different between sexes. Mine began showing differences on the underside well before there was any apparent difference in pedipalp size. My juveniles are now getting large enough that the males have just ever slightly longer pedipalps and thinner abdomens than the females, but looking at them side by side still makes it difficult to be sure without flipping them over and looking underneath.

 

[wizentrop]

+1 to above. 100% male.

 

[Aquarimax]

That molt is of a male. You will see differences on the underside before the pedipalps are noticeably different between sexes. Mine began showing differences on the underside well before there was any apparent difference in pedipalp size. My juveniles are now getting large enough that the males have just ever slightly longer pedipalps and thinner abdomens than the females, but looking at them side by side still makes it difficult to be sure without flipping them over and looking underneath.

Ah, thank you, I see what I did. I looked at the photos of the males and females above, and then reversed them in my mind. Silly me. Thanks for catching that...it certainly does look like the male.

 

[schmiggle]

What exactly are the differences that everyone seems to be looking for? Is it the cephalothorax-abdomen connection?

 

[Aquarimax]

What exactly are the differences that everyone seems to be looking for? Is it the cephalothorax-abdomen connection?

I have placed a yellow circle around the area in question. Below, from earlier in the thread, is a picture of a male and female, highlighting the differences.

"Male on the left, female on the right. There's nothing to say, I think all is clear."

Lorelei.

 

[schmiggle]

Thanks very much! This applies to all species of whipspider, right?

 

[Aquarimax]

Thanks very much! This applies to all species of whipspider, right?

I'm glad it helped!
Unfortunately, from what I understand, this method of sexing is not universal among whipspiders, although it works for some species other than Damon diadema. Here is a thread that lists some of the species it applies to:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/sexing-amblypygids

 

[schmiggle]

That thread isn't working...do you mean this one?
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/sexing-amblypygids.165902/
I can't find a species list there either, though. It's alright--I'm sure there are other ways that I'm too lazy to go looking for until the need arises.

 

[Aquarimax]

That thread isn't working...do you mean this one?
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/sexing-amblypygids.165902/

Sorry about that, not sure what happened. I have finished sexing mine I think...two males and a female. I've attached a pic of what I think is the female.

 

[wizentrop]

I agree this can be a female. It is a bit hard to be 100% sure from this photo.
By the way, if that was a Paraphrynus specimen, it would be a male. Females have much more sculpted genital operculum. That's why it is not easy to sex these arachnids!

 

[Aquarimax]

I agree this can be a female. It is a bit hard to be 100% sure from this photo.
By the way, if that was a Paraphrynus specimen, it would be a male. Females have much more sculpted genital operculum. That's why it is not easy to sex these arachnids!

My suspected female molted again last night. here's a shot of the exo...hopefully a clearer one. Female?

 

[wizentrop]

Hmmm, I would say a male on this one. But the angle may be deceiving.
Let me help you - with delicate tweezers, lift the genital operculum and look under it on the abdomen side. If you see two dark brown stripes it is a female, but if there is a complex organ projecting outward when you lift the cover, then it is a male.