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.

 

[NMTs]

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.

Yes, she was very badly in need of a molt - you can tell not only from the coloration, but the bald patches where the setae had all rubbed off. It has been reported in some of the threads here that other people have seen their Grammostola "pulchra" turn brown leading up to a molt, but yours I think was an extreme case. Either way, she does appear to have a mirror patch and is likely a Grammostola species of some sort, but which one you'll never know for sure. Until someone invents at-home DNA testing for tarantulas.

 

[ImSupposedToLoveYou]

Yes, she was very badly in need of a molt - you can tell not only from the coloration, but the bald patches where the setae had all rubbed off. It has been reported in some of the threads here that other people have seen their Grammostola "pulchra" turn brown leading up to a molt, but yours I think was an extreme case. Either way, she does appear to have a mirror patch and is likely a Grammostola species of some sort, but which one you'll never know for sure. Until someone invents at-home DNA testing for tarantulas.

I am relatively new to Ts and could not figure out why she had those bald patches! Thank you for that explanation.

What is wild is that her first molt with me was 11 months after those pics were taken. That makes me wonder how long it had been since her previous molt. I was feeding her consistently up until about 2 months ago when she stopped eating, presumably because she was about to molt. I know they are slow growers, but damn.

A spider DNA test would be so cool