Poecilotheria vittata Sexual Dimorphism?

[Liquifin]

I have two specimens that are indeed sexed via. molt. One is indeed male and the second is female both are siblings and are both 4'' inches in legspan. Now I'm not trying to making any claims, just speculation on the matter as I find the carapace to be completely different between the male and female. Which reminded me of the P. ornata sexual dimorphism. The carapace and coloration difference is just what I find very distinct and interesting to me. So I thought I'd share a photo, as the male appears to have a pinkish hue on the carapace where as the female is the typical Poecilotheria carapace pattern with some purple. I'm not a photographer so I apologize for the quality if it's not the best. But I just shot these photos on a whim. Any thoughts?


Male Poecilotheria vittata 4'' Inch Legspan




Female Poecilotheria vittata 4'' Inch Legspan

 

[spideyspinneret78]

To me it looks like it certainly could be sexual dimorphism. I think that as some pokies get larger, there are subtle differences in coloration/ pattern that often show up between males and females, but its not necessarily reliable enough all of the time to dorsally sex some species. When i chose my P. regalis she was around 3.5 to 4 in and had different coloration than most others from the same sac. She turned out to be female, and i later found out that the others which looked different than her turned out to be males. Its interesting though because ive heard of cases where specimens that had a pale folio and female-ish coloration turned out to be males, though it seems to be uncommon. I really like your photo comparison. Theres just so much we have to learn about these amazing creatures. Sorry about any spelling mistakes...im typing on my phone. Thanks for sharing.

 

[viper69]

interesting. I've never looked at vitta pics in detail. Dirmorphic or some variation due to locality etc

 

[mack1855]

@Liquifin ...got a question for ya,and im sure you are familiar with your animals and lineage.So,out of curiosity?.Are you sure in your mind that both are P.vittata.With no other pokie species giving some characteristics.
Thanks.

 

[Liquifin]

@Liquifin ...got a question for ya,and im sure you are familiar with your animals and lineage.So,out of curiosity?.Are you sure in your mind that both are P.vittata.With no other pokie species giving some characteristics.
Thanks.

Yes, both of these are P. vittata as I trust the sources I get my T.'s from. I also have a third P. vittata at 4.5''-4.75'' inches and he's similar to my smaller 4'' male that you see there on the first post. As I stated, this is more of speculation and I'm not making claims. The pictures and this thread is out of curiosity and speculation.

 

[mack1855]

Yes, both of these are P. vittata as I trust the sources I get my T.'s from. I also have a third P. vittata at 4.5''-4.75'' inches and he's similar to my smaller 4'' male that you see there on the first post. As I stated, this is more of speculation and I'm not making claims. The pictures and this thread is out of curiosity and speculation.

Oh..of coarse!.i was simply giving some thought to the mixed breeding that can happen to any genus,there by creating a confusion to dimorphism.Im glad you have breeders you trust.

Are they from different sacs from two different matings?.

 

[Liquifin]

Are they from different sacs from two different matings?.

Uh? I'm guessing you're asking if they're sac mates? Yes, they're sac mates, so basically siblings with the same parents from the same sac.

 

[mack1855]

Yes,i was just asking if they were from different matings,from separate male/females.
thanks for the clarification,very imformative.