Mature T?

Atlanta Native

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
52
How can I tell when my T's have matured to adult males or females? I think I bought a mature female curly hair but don't know how to tell. The guy who sold her to me said she was female but I can't tell. She is 4" and very hearty. I have read that male get "hooks" somewhere but not sure? Thanks in advance for the replies.
 

Wade

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 16, 2002
Messages
2,929
If this is your first tarantula, congradulations, you've made a great choice!

Males of most species, including curlies, do indeed get hook-like structures on the underside of the tibia of the first pair of legs. The tips of their pedipalps also have special bulb-like structures that are used to transfer sperm. These give the palps a "clubbed" appearance. Mature males also tend to be "leggier" than their female couterparts. These traits do not appear until the ultimate molt, however. Until then they look much like females.

There is no way to know for sure when a female is mature, most keepers just make an educated guess based on size and age. Assuming 4" is leg span, it probably has a molt or two to maturity.

The most reliable way to tell the sex of an immature tarantula is to carefully examine the molted exoskeleton, if you have one. Females have a special pocket called a spermatheca on the underside for recieving sperm. The next best way to sex a tarantula is to look for a special patch of dense "hair" on the underside of the males abdomen (the name escapes me), located near the front, before the booklungs. The hair is actually tiny, specialized spinerets that the male uses to build his sperm web. They often appear to be a small, dark patch. If the tarantula is overall dark in color, however, this will be tough to see! Both of these methods require a certain amount of practice to master (I haven't yet), but more details are available at atshq.org.

Wade
 
A

Atlanta Native

Guest
Thanks for the info. I know there isn't an easy explanation to this question but I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. I'll check the web-site you suggested. Thanks again!
 
Top