Pics of the mystery tarantula, plz help ID

Bjorgly

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Hi everyone. A little while back i posted a common names threat of the unknown tarantula. Today i went back to the pet store and got the actual name and took some good pics of it. Perhaps someone can give me a positive ID on it.

The Tarantula is called: Chacoine Birdeater Tarantula and it is 4 inches long, definately new world as it kicked some hairs, but did not go into defensive posture as the employee moved her around with his fingers. It is $69 CDN.

Here it is:
 
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ArachnoJoost

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Wow! that's beautiful indeed!
Looks a bit like a cross between the G. pulchra and G. aureostriata or something... And it looks like a male to me
 

r_cafin

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pics

i just wanted to say thats a nice lookin T...sorry i cant help im kinda new to the hobby but if i can find it ill write again..

Ryan
 

Ephesians

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AHH! What kind of bark is that? Bark is usually a big no-no. Beautiful spider, though. I'm not quite sure what it is. Looks like one of the skeleton Ts, though.
 

Hamadryad

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My opinion.......

Looks almost positively to me to be an Ephebopus murinus or Skeleton tarantula.....


:} The Spider Hunter
 

Tangled WWWeb

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If he saw it kick urticating hairs from the abdomen it would not be E. murinus as they do not have urticating hairs on the abdomen. I realize that you took the photos in the store, but it would be helpful if we could see the entire carapace. From what is there I would very tentatively guess Lasiodorides striatus.
 

Bjorgly

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Thanks everyone, any help is appreciated. I e-mailed someone and they are almost sure it is a G. fasciata. Looks alot like the L.striatus though. How big do the striatus' get? any guesses for male or female?

Mark
 

xenesthis

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ID - now known!

I am very familar with this tarantula. It is a leftover of the '96-'99 Peruvian imports. In America, it has been sold under the names of:

"Peruvian Orange-Striped" Paraphysa sp. ?
"Peruvian Blueish" Paraphysia sp.

It has sometimes been sold as "Acanthoscurria muscalosa"

In Europe, they sell it as the:

"Blue Femur Beauty" Euathulus pulcherrimusklaasi
(That is the ID that I use in my price lists until further notice or ID work.)

They are leggy, skittish, but not aggressive. Overall, black with black spines on legs 3 and 4 and a nice blue sheen in the femurs of legs 1 and 2 freshly molted. Leg striping is orange to orange-brownish. Adults get to 7.5". These are very rare Ts in our hobby now.

Todd
 

Steve Nunn

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Re: ID - now known!

Originally posted by xenesthis

"Blue Femur Beauty" Euathulus pulcherrimusklaasi
(That is the ID that I use in my price lists until further notice or ID work.)

Todd
Hi Todd,
Weren't you able to ID it down to genus??? Did you get any mature male specimens? In Euathlus the embolus is distally wide and flat, in Paraphysa the embolus tapers distally. The lower tibial spur in Paraphysa is noticably broad.

Cheers,
Steve
 

Bjorgly

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Should i buy this guy then? it is $69 CDN, 4 inches, but i dont know if its a male or female.

Mark
 

Steve Nunn

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Originally posted by Bjorgly
Should i buy this guy then? it is $69 CDN, 4 inches, but i dont know if its a male or female.

Mark
Hi Mark,
I guess it would depend why you want it. If it's something you're going to keep then it just matters what you think of it, no? In terms of financial gain, I'd imagine this would be a great purchase. As Todd stated, they are currently rare in the hobby and with the recent bans on exports from Peru it's bound to be a money gainer.

Cheers,
Steve
 

Bjorgly

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Is this a male or female? can anyone tell me by my pics?

Mark
 

Bjorgly

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xenesthis, to me, this looks exactly like Tony's L.striatus to me. Can you tell me how it is different please? I think i will buy it either way, but if it is a L.striatus, is it still worth the $69 CDN?

THanks guys, it just looks exactly like the L.striatus to me so i would like to be sure what i am getting if nothing else to take care of it properly.

Thanks!

Mark
 

Bjorgly

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Is Grammostola Fasciata out of the question here? i saw one on birsdspiders.com and it looks just like this one.

Mark
 

ArachnoJoost

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I checked birdspiders.com, and wow, do they look alike the only difference I could make out between the G. fasciata and L. striatus was that the striatus has a white band surrounding the carapace, and the fasciata doesn't have this. In your pictures the T unfortunately wouldn't show this part of the body... Real confusing stuff! I think since there are far more L. striatus in the hobby than G. fasciata (if there are any (?)) you have more chance of it being L.stiatus
 

Bjorgly

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I am leaning towards L.striatus....are these expensive spiders? like i said it is $69 CDN for a 4 incher and i have no real way of telling if its male or female...is this a good deal? if so ill go buy it tomorrow.

Mark
 

Steve Nunn

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Originally posted by Bjorgly
I am leaning towards L.striatus....are these expensive spiders? like i said it is $69 CDN for a 4 incher and i have no real way of telling if its male or female...is this a good deal? if so ill go buy it tomorrow.

Mark
Hi Mark,
I would suppose if it's a L.striatus then the price isn't too bad, John Hoke has a L.striatus garanteed sexed female at 6" for $75.00. Considering you can't be sure what this spider is, I'd forget it and buy one of Hoke's, at least you can be relatively sure of species and know you're buying a sexed female.

When getting into the morphology of the subfamily Theraphosinae it can be quite difficult without a mature male of the species, IDing a lot of the spiders from the Theraphosinae involves details on the embolus and tibial apophyses (such as Grammostola and Euathlus).

One quick way to find out if it's a Lasiodora though is to have a look at the setae on the coxa (legs 1&2) and maxillae. Plumose (feathershaped) setae are found on both the Lasiodora and Theraphosa, so this would be a good indicator for Lasiodora. Problem here is, you'd need at the very least a stereo microscope to find the setae!

I would seriously doubt you'd be looking at a G. fasciata, rare as rare can be in the hobby. And like Tony said, the caput looks to be more arched then the specimen in question.

Good luck with your decision!

Cheers,
Steve
 

Bjorgly

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Steve, thanks alot for your insight. Unfortunately i do not live in the states and none of the U.S. dealers will ship to me (Canada) without a 1000$ purchase or more. I will check with Chris Creepy Crawlies here in canada and see what he can do for me.

Thanks!

Mark
 

tarantulakeeper

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Mark,
I don't post very often but would like to put in my unsolicited 2 cents.

If you like this spider go buy it. It doesn't really matter what it is, you will enjoy having it and giving it a good home. I have been at this for five years now and have let one or two spiders I wanted slip through my hands. Not any more. If I like it and can afford I try to get it. I have numerous Aphonopelmas that are only ID'd as Aphonopelma sp. During the last ATS convention I needed another Aphonopelma like a hole in my head but bought a beautiful female which then presented me with a fertile eggsac. You just never know.

Several things to consider: 1. Since you live in Canada no one from the states can ship to you without a lot of headache. 2. Unless you plan to breed this spider next week or sell it to someone else its true identity doesn't matter. You'll need to be a little careful as you work on husbandry requirements but you'll be able to tell what makes it happy. 3. Think about how you'd feel if you go into the store and this specimen is gone? 4. If you're not taking food off your table or spending rent monies, go for it. I've certainly paid $60 for a few spiders in my collection.

The point is... buy because you like it, not what name is attached to it. Enjoy, John
 

Bjorgly

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You make alot of good points john, but the only reason I feel the sex is important is because i do not want a male. They seldom live more than two or three years and i would not want to drop $70 on something that will live for a couple years then die. The reason i was trying to get a positive ID on it was because i know i can get it cheaper elsewhere through Chris' Creepy Crawlies here in canada, but i would not know what to order unless i knew exactly what it is. Is there any picture i can take of it to help determine its sex? the employee there is extremly helpful and spoke of stan and margurite schultz as if he knew them so i think he is farmilar with tarantulas so he would be willing to help me get some good pictures.

Thanks!

Mark
 
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