Our Chicken Hunting Spider Thread

[Crotalus]

So you didnt saw any juveniles in the adult females burrows.? I read a intresting research, similar to yours done in Peru. They found young juveniles in the same burrows with adult females. I think it was Pampobeteus sp. I have heard the same story with Xenestis immanis. Intresting. Cheers.!!!///Johan

They believed to be X. immanis, but they are not found in that area so it was a mistaken ID. It was this species.
Also there are frogs living inside the burrows, atleast at Tambopata Research Centers lodge, there an article about it here:

http://www.perunature.com/downloads/frogsreport2002.doc

I wish we had a occiloscope (spelling..) with us to take a peek inside the burrows. Maybe next time...

/Lelle

 

[Vanisher]

Hej Johan...
Ja, they really were incredible.
Lelle is not the only one that is sick, though I think it may just have been the lack of sleep we both had for that week.

And still itchy as hell from all the bites, but I'd do it again tomorrow if I could.



The communal burrow that we saw had one adult fermale and one sub-adult - unsure of the sex of the sub-adult. Without a camera we could insert down into the burrow it is impossible to know if there were more in there or not.

Maybe the females feed hathcing spiderlings in the burrow and they live with the mother until large juveniles Like Hysterocrates does but for how long i dont know

 

[Martin H.]

Hello Johan,

So you didnt saw any juveniles in the adult females burrows.? I read a intresting research, similar to yours done in Peru. They found young juveniles in the same burrows with adult females. I think it was Pampobeteus sp. I have heard the same story with Xenestis immanis. Intresting. Cheers.!!!///Johan

if you are talking about this article:

• COCROFT, R. B. & K. HAMBLER (1989): Observations on a commensal relationship of the microhylid frog Chismocleis ventrimaculata and the burrowing theraphosid spider Xenestis immanis in southeastern Peru. Biotropica 21(1): 2-8.

it's not about X. immanis. According to Martin Nicholas the paper is about the chicken spider (Pamphobeteus sp.) and so is Jolene CSAKANY's thesis (it was originally identified from a very old taxonomic paper that incorrectly ID'ed the spider as X. immansis – which it clearly is not).

all the best,
Martin

 

[Martin H.]

Hi,

Also there are frogs living inside the burrows, atleast at Tambopata Research Centers lodge, there an article about it here:

http://www.perunature.com/downloads/frogsreport2002.doc

taling about frogs living in the burrow of tarantulas, these articles might be of interest:

• BLAIR, W. F. (1936): A note on the ecology of Microphly olivacea. Copeia, New York etc., 1936 (2): 115.
• COCROFT, R. B. & K. HAMBLER (1989): Observations on a commensal relationship of the microhylid frog Chismocleis ventrimaculata and the burrowing theraphosid spider Xenestis immanis in southeastern Peru. Biotropica 21(1): 2-8.
• CSAKANY, J. (2002): Study on the Chemical Communication between the Microhylid Frog, Chiasmocleis ventrimaculatata, and a Theraphosid Spider involved in a Commensal Relationship.
• HIRSCHI, H. (1991): Biotopstudien, Beobachtungen und Überlegungen zur Lebensweise verschiedener Vogelspinnen-Arten in Costa Rica und Ecuador, Teil II. Arachnol. Anz. 20: 14-17.
• HUNT, R. H. (1980): Toad sanctuary in a tarantula burrow. Nat. His. 89(3): 48-53.
• POWELL, R., L. W. LITTLE & D. D. SMITH (1984): Eine Wohngemeinschaft von Physalaemus pustulosus (Cope, 1864) (Salientia: Leptodactylidae) mit einer bodenbewohnenden Vogelspinne. Salamandra 20(4): 273-274.

all the best,
Martin

 

[harrymaculata]

That was ONE sentence!!!

-Kelly

yeah it was i was raving so thats how it is gotta a problem wid that?

 

[Sheri]

Re: frogs... I found it really interesting that our guide had heard of the frog/tarantula relationship but had no idea that T venom wasn't deadly!

He referenced it one night at dinner, I can't remember how he was aware of it though... maybe Lelle remembers.

Edit: that was the night we had a couple of beers... so Lelle doesn't remember either.

 

[Tony]

yeah it was i was raving so thats how it is gotta a problem wid that?

And yet another, though not quite as hard to read

Lelle, oscilloscope is an electronics device...perhaps you though of an endoscope?

T

 

[Crotalus]

Yeah... a wire hooked up to a camera

/Lelle

 

[Deschain]

I'm still wondering why there was so much bull<poop> going on here myself. :? At least it seems to have tapered off.

Sheri and Lelle I only have two words for you. Thank you.

And I'd like to add two more to Thank you...for sharing. :clap:

yeah it was i was raving so thats how it is gotta a problem wid that?

Just with reading it.

 

[shogun804]

excellent thread! and pics! thank you for sharing sheri and lelle fantastic :clap:

 

[Gesticulator]

Absolutely amazing!!!
Aranas pollito!!

 

[TimV]

They believed to be X. immanis, but they are not found in that area so it was a mistaken ID. It was this species.
Also there are frogs living inside the burrows, atleast at Tambopata Research Centers lodge, there an article about it here:

http://www.perunature.com/downloads/frogsreport2002.doc

I wish we had a occiloscope (spelling..) with us to take a peek inside the burrows. Maybe next time...

/Lelle

Interesting article, but it was so full of sloppiness that one wonders how much we can trust.

The adult female was 73.2 centimeters and BR3 was 38.1 centimeters.

Was just one of a couple things I saw which disturbed me. Do you any of you know just how big 73 centimeters is?

 

[Crotalus]

Interesting article, but it was so full of sloppiness that one wonders how much we can trust.



Was just one of a couple things I saw which disturbed me. Do you any of you know just how big 73 centimeters is?

Im sure its supposed to be mm

/Lelle

 

[BMSGWORS]

Thanks!
But that was a small fragment of what I have

/Lelle

I’ve always loved winky face. It just makes me wonder what else you have Lelle.

Cheers Graham

 

[Strang Love]

Het guys, great pics! I really hope you go back soon and bring back more (or post what you have ) I think i'm going to costa rica in the spring to surf but i'll try to get some pics of something down there.

 

[Randolph XX()]

i got a really syupid question in my mind
do they hunt in groups(which is quite impossible) or share food in groups like scolopendra multilans?

 

[Catherine]

Wow, fantastic pictures. What an amzing trip that must have been. Thanks for sharing it

 

[Sheri]

It truly was, thanks.

I am going through terrible rainforest withdrawl... Here is another pic of one of the spiders that I quite like... not a great shot for specimen detail but really captures the excitement of first seeing a new burrow.

 

[Keith Richard]

Hi Sheri and Lelle,

Forgive me if this subject has already been broached and I missed it (some of the posts here got a little tedious). When you encountered these beasties, did you get any feel for their temperament? Were they easily disturbed and / or "annoyed"? Did they run for cover at the slightest movement / sound (ahem, clearly not since you have photographic evidence of their presence)? The only other picture I ever saw of this T suggested it was pretty much jet black a la G. pulchra, but with bright red setae and maybe some red joint highlights.

 

[Sheri]

They were certainly easily disturbed... disappearing down the burrow as soon as they sensed us. When we got the pictures of the 2 together we had to take them from far away before they were spooked.

But once in the burrow, I would say that 85-90% of the time we were able to lure them out with the stick tickling method. They would wise up to this relatively fast though... after retreating once more into the burrow they would not usually respond again to the same treatment for at least another hour. Especially with larger/older specimens.

The bright red setae seemed much more apparent in sub-adults, as I recall, but it was a brilliant, and deep vibrant red. I will review the photos, and Lelle may have something different to add - no idea - a lot of these observations are subjective, and certainly not concrete.

But although certainly curious about the stick invasions, they did not seem overly aggressive/defensive... and I did not recall hearing any stridulation, as I believe I read in Martin Nicolas's 1996 article on them.

Hope that helps!

Oh, as for hunting and feeding together, we did not witness that behaviour and therefore, I can't speak to it. Though if I was to speculate, I think hunting together is probably not likely, since they really don't "hunt" as say a wolf pack does. Do I think that if a prey item wandered in front of 2 or 3 at the same time that they would all try and get a piece of the action (especially if they were siblings of the same relative size) I think that answer is yes. Though it would be fascinating to be able to observe, to see if one sibling ends up taking the prize, or if they continue to feed off the same prey item, and how many times they would jointly attack the prey etc.

Again, those are just ideas I've been thinking of. I am hardly qualified... I am relatively new to the hobby and this was my first experience observing them in the wild, but they are interesting topics nonetheless.

Edit: will review the article again to make sure I saw a stridulation reference, I might be wrong that he observed that.