Pamphobeteus antinous

[arthurliuyz]

DISCLAMER: All pictures posted with permission.

Hi guys!
I am wanting to get a Pamphobeteus antinous recently, but I have a problem.
I found two sellers with reasonable prices that have females for sale.

Te first seller had something like this:

Just like any other Pamphobeteus antinous right? This seller told me that his specimens only started turning jet black until they hit the 13-14cm DLS mark.
This is his female at 12cm DLS:


This is another seller's 12cm female (local pickup only, but I'm not in the same city):


But here's the problem - the other seller had ones that looks like this:




It's deeper and richer in color, but something just looks a little off to me...the legs are super lanky. And this sellers specimens are already jet black at 12cm DLS.

Now, I'm aware of the mess this species is in the hobby, of the "Big Black" and stuff, but can someone with this species of more information please chime in on this, thanks.
Are these two different "forms" of Pamphobeteus antinous?

@c.h.esteban @antinous @xenesthis do you guy have any idea?

 

[c.h.esteban]

Such color differences are not uncommon and caused often by the more or less moist maintenance.

As far as i know, these "antinous", "cf. antinous" or "antinous ..." was mostly collected around Iquitos, Peru.
If you have a look at the distribution map in SHERWOOD et al. 2022 you see that this is far from the doctumented localities of P antinous.
I do not really care about these antinous-topic in the last years (too much marketing / too few information), so i cant say what goes around under all these lables and if there are differences between them.

 

[Pedipalpable]

Such color differences are not uncommon and caused often by the more or less moist maintenance.

What exactly is meant by this? Are you saying that how moist you keep a tarantula's enclosure can affect its coloration? That's the first time I have ever seen this mentioned, and I would like to know more. I am getting a Pamphobeteus sp. mascara soon, so I would be curious to know if moisture levels might affect its coloration.

 

[Smotzer]

I can't say about the second photos but the first and the last look similar and differences probably due to lighting, camera, and editing. And their color changes throughout lifespan but what I will say is try and buy from reputable sellers or people on AB when you can. Pamphobeteus and likewise Xensthis are all over the place on how they come in with imports and sometimes you can't be totally sure what you are getting.

 

[c.h.esteban]

Are you saying that how moist you keep a tarantula's enclosure can affect its coloration?

Yes, thats what i´m say.

 

[Pedipalpable]

Yes, thats what i´m say.

Do you think you could elaborate, please? Are you suggesting that keeping them more moist leads to color being retained and fading less, whereas keeping them dry leads to color fading more? Or the other way around?