My Australian non-T primitives

[RezonantVoid]

I'm not into trapdoors/funnelwebs or medically significant species, but I absolutely love this thread!
Very well done, gonna stay tuned for updates!

Ps. You might consider compiling a book with the way you describe behaviour and such, it would be a fun and informational read, I think!

What an idea! Maybe I will some day

I'm glad I've intrigued you with these primitives, if you ever do consider getting into trapdoors then I'd strongly reccomend Barychelidae (family my Idiommata belongs to) because they basically look like a T, and can also climb glass and stridulate like one.

 

[The Snark]

You might consider compiling a book with the way you describe behaviour and such, it would be a fun and informational read, I think!

Indeed!

What an idea! Maybe I will some day

As I perused this thread I imagined some illustrations done in a slightly comical but scientifically accurate vein. The intrepid arachnologist on hands and knees, nose almost in a burrow, perhaps a wallaby or cassowary off to the side, bemused, observing curiously. Your prose would lend itself very well. Just visualize what a crack illustrator could do showcasing 'The Abyss'.

 

[RezonantVoid]

Indeed!

As I perused this thread I imagined some illustrations done in a slightly comical but scientifically accurate vein. The intrepid arachnologist on hands and knees, nose almost in a burrow, perhaps a wallaby or cassowary off to the side, bemused, observing curiously. Your prose would lend itself very well. Just visualize what a crack illustrator could do showcasing 'The Abyss'.

If I had a cassowary behind me I'd never live to publish the book
I've done alot of art over the years, but im probably not good enough for consistent quality illustrations. However, it might be a funny project for some day in the future...
"The Self-proclaimed Civilian Scientist's guide to Arachnology"


As a little update to how this new Homogona sp. has settled in, I took a pic earlier this morning.

The starter burrow was completely caved in but the 2 crickets I left for her were both gone. It's interesting that my latest substrate mix doesn't seem to suit both my Cataxia slings or this Homogona. It has a lot of organic matter like crunched leaves added to a few different brands of coco peat and some sand to add a little bit of texture and help it soak up water quicker when it dries out. They are the only 2 idiopids I have that don't want to dig in it. I'll see how she's going in a few days time, but she will be left under my bed in the dark to adjust in the meantime

 

[The Snark]

The starter burrow was completely caved in

A lot of burrower keepers could benefit from a rudimentary course in soil science. Examining soil and environment where they thrive in the wild can give a heads up as to their needs.

I've been doing a daily inspection of our 11 T holes. Some remain unchanged day after day, some are kicking dirt every night. I'm trying to differentiate between animal personalities (neurotic dirt kicker?) and soil content. Loose dark loam lends itself well to kicking, clay content lends towards content to just leave things alone. I don't understand the detritus-debris around the holes at all. Some like the urban disaster area look (Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin), others are frantically sweeping their door steps every night (BHOA, Beverly Hills Over Achiever and Steve Martin). ??

 

[tewebag]

This entire thing is amazing. Please keep posting all your awesome aussie things.

 

[EtienneN]

but I have something just as impressive, and probably 50x more aggressive lined up in its place

Spoken like an Aussie! Probably said whilst guzzling a Foster’s!

A lot of burrower keepers could benefit from a rudimentary course in soil science. Examining soil and environment where they thrive in the wild can give a heads up as to their needs.

I've been doing a daily inspection of our 11 T holes. Some remain unchanged day after day, some are kicking dirt every night. I'm trying to differentiate between animal personalities (neurotic dirt kicker?) and soil content. Loose dark loam lends itself well to kicking, clay content lends towards content to just leave things alone. I don't understand the detritus-debris around the holes at all. Some like the urban disaster area look (Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin), others are frantically sweeping their door steps every night (BHOA, Beverly Hills Over Achiever and Steve Martin). ??

Now I’m going to have weird medical cannabis fueled dreams about Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin C. albostriatus tarantulas! And all the others too! Ha! Maybe I just won’t sleep!

 

[Arthroverts]

I have so many ideas for how to make "The Abyss" some awesome comic; now, just to draw it out semi-decently (if that's possible for me, that is)!

Thanks again for sharing @RezonantVoid. I look forward to seeing this collection grow, expand, and eventually become a World Invertebrate Heritage Site (I say that only half-jokingly ).

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[The Snark]

Probably said whilst guzzling a Foster’s

Aw come on! That's like saying he's breathing air! Ah memories. The swill, drive through liquor stores and cars lined up around the block. BYO!!
The demure bank teller fiirst thing in the morning whose breath would knock a buzzard off a crapwagon. The cops oblivious to all but make a left hand turn after stopping at a red light at 03:00 and they are on you like flies on a manure pile.

 

[RezonantVoid]

@Arthroverts "only HALF jokingly" is not reassuring me much lol

I'm glad everyone is enjoying viewing these critters of mine, but please remember this is not by any means the most grand collection in the world or anything close. My personal motto is "there's always someone better than you at whatever", and while I don't like to view this hobby as a competition for who has the most stuff etc, I'm pretty sure there are hundreds of larger mygalomorph collections than this. Maybe not ones with Aname sp. Gold or H.Formidabilis, but definitely larger ones

 

[The Snark]

I'm glad everyone is enjoying viewing these critters of mine, but please remember this is not by any means the most grand collection in the world or anything close.

So which is better, the billionaire in his penthouse who casually drops some small fortune into a fantabulous collection or the dedicated amateur biologist braving the outback during the entire rainy on hands and knees to discover the life cycle of some insignificant bug?

One of the great mysteries of our time: all those Steve Irwin videos and not one person seen doing the Aussie/outback wave.

 

[EtienneN]

So which is better, the billionaire in his penthouse who casually drops some small fortune into a fantabulous collection or the dedicated amateur biologist braving the outback during the entire rainy on hands and knees to discover the life cycle of some insignificant bug?

One of the great mysteries of our time: all those Steve Irwin videos and not one person seen doing the Aussie/outback wave.

I think Steve-o charmed the skeeters with his dashing good looks rapier wit. He was so knowledgeable about nature, he WAS Nature!

 

[The Snark]

I think Steve-o charmed the skeeters

Just skeeters? Northern T, doing the Daly and Kakadu for a month. Stop to camp. Erect screen tent. Dive in. Spend the rest of the evening chasing out the 550,000 flying and crawlings that managed to sneak in anyway. Hilarious is observing the uninitiated tourists doing the evening boat tour in the Kakadu. No folks, that's not fog.

Giving our on-loan outback vehicle a critical examination. Owner: "Those are Bull or Roo Bars and that's a rock screen. When you do 'the track' they will become self evident. Watch out for bull dust."
Giving a ranch worker a ride from one station to the next: "Just up the track a ways." 80 kilometers later... How anyone manages to do anything out there beyond basic survival is a mystery.

 

[Arthroverts]

My grandmother recently went to Australia; in this one town she stopped and a sign greeted her: "Welcome to Paradise". A little farther on she saw a sign that said to stay away from the river because of the crocodiles. A little further on at the beach another sign said not to go wading in the water because of sharks. Back on the road a sign warns about cassowaries. All the while mosquitos buzz and swarm...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[The Snark]

My grandmother recently went to Australia; in this one town she stopped and a sign greeted her: "Welcome to Paradise". A little farther on she saw a sign that said to stay away from the river

Love some of their signs:
DO NOT GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE BEYOND THIS SIGN
We like our lizards frilled, not grilled.
In front of a store: 85 KM TO THE NEXT COLD ONE

 

[Arthroverts]

Or bearded, not filleted.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[RezonantVoid]

My grandmother recently went to Australia; in this one town she stopped and a sign greeted her: "Welcome to Paradise". A little farther on she saw a sign that said to stay away from the river because of the crocodiles. A little further on at the beach another sign said not to go wading in the water because of sharks. Back on the road a sign warns about cassowaries. All the while mosquitos buzz and swarm...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

All of the above literally cower in fear from our magpies

Got home today, she's still in her comfort garden.


Tonight is feeding night for the majority of my collection so I might have some new gifs up later

Here's some gifs from the from the other night!

Stanwellia sp. 1 sling

Stanwellia sp. 2 sling

Australothele Nambucca

Hadronyche Formidabilis

Hadronyche Versuta

And finally Hadronyche Valida

 

[EtienneN]

Your enclosures are so pretty with all the textures and colours, I want to live in one!!!

 

[RezonantVoid]

Your enclosures are so pretty with all the textures and colours, I want to live in one!!!

I can definitely arrange that

 

[Arthroverts]

I don't think they make Sistema containers that big though...

And I have to agree with @The Snark. You may not have the biggest, grandest collection, but your painstaking efforts to make everything you keep survive and thrive, your local conservation efforts (I mean, how many can claim they released native threatened spiders back into the wild?), and the observations you make on species both in the wild and in captivity are truly amazing. I have invertebrate-enthusiast friends over here that I talk with, and whenever primitive spiders come up you are mentioned . No joke.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[RezonantVoid]

I literally just noticed with the Australothele Nambucca feeding, her spinnerets twitch the moment the cricket lands and the gif has now become a whole lot funnier to me lol