Please help me ID this spider

Bjorgly

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Hi all, I am helping a friend out and just to be sure on the proper way to care for his spider, I thought it would be best to get more opinons on which tarantula this is exactly? thanks alot!

Mark
 

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motorteipidpa

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can it perhaps be aphonopelma hentzi?heres a pic of my a.hentzi.its an extremely bad pic though,sorry about the quality.
Tom
 

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Code Monkey

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I wouldn't try to pin it down to species from that pic, but it looks to me to be some mid to southwestern Aphonopelma, possibly hentzi or anax, possibly something else. Translation: opportunistic burrower, dry cage with water bowl, slow grower, pretty damn hard to screw up.
 

Lost_Tarantula

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Also looks like a mature male IMHO. Large pedipalps. I have one that looks remarkably similar to that. WC in Dallas.
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by Lost_Tarantula
Also looks like a mature male IMHO. Large pedipalps.
I think that's just the perception caused by the camera shot. The legs on both hentzi and anax turn black upon maturity and those still look quite brown to me. Of course, it may be neither of those species, and it may even have started off as a beautiful golden color and moulted into this and is messing with all our heads.
 

Lost_Tarantula

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Looks like a Rio Grande Copperback to me. And I still think that those are enlarged pedipalps cause it looks like an exact replica of mine -- I see that angle on my T alot as it stands next to the cage wall. But that's the humble and lowly opinion of a newbie. ;)

But since C M thinks it isn't, I must back down before I humiliate myself. :D


-LT
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by Lost_Tarantula
But since C M thinks it isn't, I must back down before I humiliate myself. :D
No need for that, but all (I think at any rate) adult Aphonopelma males undergo a marked coloration change at maturity. Your proposed Rio Grande Copperback I know also does the, "Look at me, I'm nearly black" trick of the hentzi, anax, and most other mid/southwestern Aphonopelmas. IF that bugger is mature, then us trying to identify it "normally" is a lost cause.

What we need is for Bjorgly to confirm/deny the boxing glove palps. I still say those aren't mature palps, but it's kind of hard to tell.
 

Bjorgly

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The tarantula is not mine, it is a friend's who knows next to nothing about spiders, and the picture is not taken at the best angle. He found it outside and plans to give it to his grandson. The fact that he found it told me it probabaly is a male because they wonder, whereas females dont often leave their burrows and if they do they dont go far. Since all the Aphonopelma species have the same care, im sure I gave him the right care info. I just warned him that it may be near maturity and that it wont live for long, perhaps a year or 2, maybe less. Thanks for the help!

Mark
 

Code Monkey

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Bjorgly, where did your friend find this tarantula (seeing as you're in Canada, I'm guessing he's not local to you ;))? Location might give us a better idea. I know it doesn't much matter, but now I'm all curious...
 

Bjorgly

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I'll e-mail him and let you know...i dont know that myself, ill have to ask him!

Mark
 

conipto

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I could swear I see tibial spurs on that guy.

I'd second the male opinion.

Bill
 

Code Monkey

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Originally posted by conipto
I could swear I see tibial spurs on that guy.

I'd second the male opinion.

Bill
I'm starting to lean that way myself, but that's why I want to know where it's from. If that's a male, it's more likely a chalcodes or one of those other unidentified blonde species than anything we've tossed out so far. Not that it matters, but it's good to be curious :)
 

Code Monkey

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Re: hi

Originally posted by Tarantula Lover
i think it is an anax
Pssst, James - if it's a mature male it cannot be anax or any of the other brown Aphonopelmas since they turn pretty much black upon becoming mature. This would be why we're debating where it's from and if it's actually mature.
 

Joy

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Here's a photo of a mature male A. anax for purposes of comparison.

Joy
 
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Wade

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It looks a helluva lot like the many adult male A. chalcodes I've found ambling accross the road in southern Arizona.

Wade
 

Bjorgly

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I just e-mailed him back asking for where he found it....hopefully i'll have an answer for you guys later on today!

Mark
 
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