My (likely) G. quirogai molted and finally turned black :)

[ImSupposedToLoveYou]

This spider was sold to me as a G. pulchra, but when I received her, she was very very brown. Her DLS at that time was about 6".

I'm assuming she's a G. quirogai, otherwise I have absolutely no idea what she could be.

I wish I was 100% sure because I want to make sure I'm giving her the proper care.

Her last molt was not great, and I had to help her.

She was dragging her body around for a couple of weeks post molt, like her back legs weren't working.

She seems to be mostly recovered now.

 

[NMTs]

She looks good! The molting process can be very taxing, especially for larger specimens, so it may certainly take a couple weeks or longer for them to fully recover.

As for care, it really doesn't differ between Grammostola pulchra and G. quirogai - they both come from very similar habitats in the southern part of Brazil and northern part of Uruguay. As to making a positive identification, it really isn't possible unless you're able to do some DNA sequencing... You can search and find tons of discussion about this in the forums, some examples:

G Pulchra vs Quirogai

So I bought what was labeled as a G Pulchra from Jamie's Ts, but now I have seen a couple videos, Tom Moran being the main one that makes me believe its a Quirogai, how do i know which it is? I'd like to know anyway. It's a wee little sling though.

arachnoboards.com

See the links in my comment on this image:

IMG_7755.jpeg

purchased as a sling as G. pulchra 2 years ago. Shes about 3.5 inches. I thought maybe she was just not finished hardening but it's been 4 days since molt. Was all black until recent molt. Front legs pinkish brown.

arachnoboards.com

 

[ImSupposedToLoveYou]

She looks good! The molting process can be very taxing, especially for larger specimens, so it may certainly take a couple weeks or longer for them to fully recover.

As for care, it really doesn't differ between Grammostola pulchra and G. quirogai - they both come from very similar habitats in the southern part of Brazil and northern part of Uruguay. As to making a positive identification, it really isn't possible unless you're able to do some DNA sequencing... You can search and find tons of discussion about this in the forums, some examples:

G Pulchra vs Quirogai

So I bought what was labeled as a G Pulchra from Jamie's Ts, but now I have seen a couple videos, Tom Moran being the main one that makes me believe its a Quirogai, how do i know which it is? I'd like to know anyway. It's a wee little sling though.

arachnoboards.com

See the links in my comment on this image:

IMG_7755.jpeg

purchased as a sling as G. pulchra 2 years ago. Shes about 3.5 inches. I thought maybe she was just not finished hardening but it's been 4 days since molt. Was all black until recent molt. Front legs pinkish brown.

arachnoboards.com

Thank you so much for your thorough reply! I have gone through basically every thread on this forum regarding the pulchra vs quirogai issue. My bigger worry is that they sent me one that is neither species.

When I say she was brown right before this molt, I mean BROWN. Not a brown sheen, but pure brown. I couldn't find any posts with Ts that looked like her. Her body is also very slender compared to the Grammastolas I have seen.

Either way, I love her. Her molt was so bad I thought she was going to die with this last molt, which is why I was concerned about species appropriate husbandry.

I will attach pics of when I got her, before this last molt.