Question Concerning Color Patterns (L. mactans)

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davisfam

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
287
We have a female L. mactans who was collected about two months ago. In that time period, she has not produced any egg sacs and has molted a total of four times. A fellow member, Widowman10, has provided much information regarding this species as well as many documents and websites. Although, we are a little confused about something concerning the color patterns in the L. mactans; from what I understand with each molt, the females lose the majority, if not ALL, of their vibrant colored patterns that they once possessed as juviies. Well, our L. mactan has indeed lost 90% if not more of her bright red/white spots with each molt but the other day I noticed a marking on her that I have not (from pictures on the web) seen before on a subadult or adult female L. mactans. She has two white markings on the top portion of her abdomen; it's hard to explain so I'll post a picture later on today! I was just curious if white markings on an adult L. mactans was common? I can't find any information on the internet and a friend remembers reading in the past that this "white marking" on our L. mactans is rare but who knows what our friend's source was and if that source was even legit, ANY information is appreciated.. THANKS!! :?
 
Widowman10

Widowman10

Arachno WIDOW
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
4,212
sorta like this maybe?

these were some beautiful "wings" or "herring bones" on my L. mactans:


same mactans, different view:


little "wings" on an L. variolus:


same on an immature hesperus:




if this is what i think you are talking about, these markings have been called anything from "herring bone" to "boomerang" to "wings" to ??? (can't remember the technical term, verrry late here). the markings aren't too common, although you will see lots in some populations. seem to see more in mactans and hesperus than in variolus i believe. most of these markings do fade with time, but some adults will retain them, love it when they do.
 
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davisfam

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 19, 2010
Messages
287
Ahh, YES!! That's exactly what I am talking about, THANK YOU!! These white "wings" are soo neat and I just had to find out if it was common or not. She also still has a couple red spots on her abdomen, they are faint of course but still show up in pictures. I am curious about something.. what's the average number of molts per L. mactans life span? If she has molted four times, is she finished? She is pretty large in size. I am soo tired at the moment and I promise to post pictures tomorrow evening. Thanks again for ALL your help, you ROCK! :D
 
Widowman10

Widowman10

Arachno WIDOW
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
4,212
molts in which the spider matures can vary greatly. mactans, similar to hesperus in the molts-to-maturity count, can mature anywhere from the 6th-10th instar (numbers are different for males, who mature anywhere between the 4th-8th instar). apparently, 9th and 10th instar maturity are rare, so most female mactans will mature in the 7th instar, with a few maturing in the 6th and 8th instar.
 
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