P-terrors

[Kali]

my usambara has shed again for the 2nd time since I got her in early march of this year, and I think this was her final molt, but how does one recognise maturity among spiders? also, she emerged from her shed still fat, (her abdomen is noticably lgr than her thorax) and w/o tibial hooks. she was eating days before the molt, and is 3-4 in long. i was surprised to find the molt, as she gave no warning. she also destroyed the abdominal portion of the molt before i could get her definitly sexed. please help?
:?
Kristin

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Hey Kris,

In mature male Pterinochilus murinus specimens the pedipalps will have bee-stinger like bulbs on them. Immature males you may or may not be able to sex by locating the epiandrous fussilae on the ventral side of the T's abdomen... I dont have the link, but theres a nice guide if you look around at http://birdspiders.com

Also, the anterior booklungs will be straight, rather than curved. On females, the area between the anterior booklungs(those little white things) would show some sign of scleritization(hardening of the epigastric furrow) in a neat little curve.

As far as I know, there is no definitive way to tell at which molt the female becomes mature. Eventually they stop growing so much and can reproduce, other than that we are left guessing.

You can also try to compare pictures of yours with the "usumbara appreciation thread" that just popped up. Theres a few females there, and I put pictures of my male up at the end.

Hope that helps,

-V

 

[D-Man]

Not and adult

I've never heard of adult T's molting only a couple of months apart. Sounds like you have a juvenille. You sound pretty green to me, maybe a few books would help. If there's no tibial hooks and the palps are not clubbed on the ends, but slender as legs, it should be a female, BUT, that's assuming a T after an ultimate molt. You need a good exuvium and eye for the basics to ID.

Dario

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Id have to disagree D-man. Pterionochilus sp. grow amazingly quick imho. Here is a molt record of mine from less than an inch to mature.


Pterinochilus sp.
recieved from reptile outlet: 5/01/02 spiderling unsexed
molt: week of 5/20/02 1"
molt: week of 6/29/02 1 3/4"
molt: week of 8/4/02 2 1/2"
molt: 8/26/02
molt:10/16/02 3" sexed:male 99.9%
sent to holley thompson on breeding loan 12/18/02
matured male with holley 5/10/03

-V


One year to maturity, almost exactly.