Quick weekend trip south

[Texas Blonde]

Graham (Gsc) and I just got back from a quick trip to SW Texas. We found a ton of stuff, in a very short amount of time. Luck was definitely with us.

First find of the day.

Mmmmmmmm.

Kukulcania arizonensis.

Robber fly.

Coleonyx brevis.

Random bug.

Argiope?

Texas Long Nose snake.

 

[Texas Blonde]

More pics

Orthoporus ornatus.

Diplocentrus sp.

Aphonopelma sp. (Possibly steindachneri. I collected two to send off for identification.)

Habitat pics.

Some flooding we passed on the way back.

Graham and The Little. She even found a tarantula on this trip.

 

[Gsc]

Great job with the pics Sky... No one probably realizes that we found all this stuff (Plus soooo much more...saw ~20+ tarantulas, widows, diplocentrus scorpions, centruroides scorps, a vejovid scorp, etc. ) within only about 5 hours of hunting AT TOPS...it was a great time....

 

[GQ.]

Nice! You had a much better weekend than I. One of these days I'll make it back out to Big Bend. Thanks for sharing all the critter photos. Those are some great habitat shots too.

 

[Texas Blonde]

I forgot to mention, the Diplocentrus and the big yellow milli will soon be on their way to Jared Deily. And I have something for you too Gil.

 

[GQ.]

And I have something for you too Gil.

Okay, I guess I'll stop huddling up in the shower to cry. Thanks Sky!

 

[Canth]

Awesome.
It looks like y'all had a very successful trip! The moderatum is gorgeous. Aside from the tarantulas, did you find most of the stuff by flipping rocks or just happen upon it? How deep was the water? Looked a bit like that here last night.

 

[Ted]

good job!
too bad those longnose are such notoriously horrible pets.
but they are pretty.

 

[T Frank]

Beautiful pictures! I would have to drive 6 - 8 hours to find a tarantula in the wild

 

[P. Novak]

A.moderatum :drool: Great finds guys! Looks like you guys had a good time!

 

[Gsc]

Awesome.
It looks like y'all had a very successful trip! The moderatum is gorgeous. Aside from the tarantulas, did you find most of the stuff by flipping rocks or just happen upon it? How deep was the water? Looked a bit like that here last night.

All the Diplocentrus (and other scorpions) along with the geckos were all under rocks...

 

[Gsc]

good job!
too bad those longnose are such notoriously horrible pets.
but they are pretty.

I agree Ted...some fo the South Texas ones eat pinkies sometimes...but these western ones usually want lizards... Sky held onto it for about 15 minutes looking at him...then we LET HIM GO back where we found them.... Like you said...beautiful...but not pets.

It really was a nice suprise to just walk up onto one while looking for tarantula burrows....

 

[Brent H.]

Contrary to popular belief (and due to much erroneous research by previous taxonomists), A. steindachneri is not found in Texas. This is published data (see Prentice, 1997).

 

[Ted]

I agree Ted...some fo the South Texas ones eat pinkies sometimes...but these western ones usually want lizards... Sky held onto it for about 15 minutes looking at him...then we LET HIM GO back where we found them.... Like you said...beautiful...but not pets.

It really was a nice suprise to just walk up onto one while looking for tarantula burrows....

you guys did kick some majot butts, though.
letting it go was the right thing to do.
I wished they were better captives..i have collected many throughout the Valley, but most were lacertian feeders.

great pics and inverts..and cant forget those banded geckos.:clap:

 

[Galapoheros]

Cool! Looks like y'all had allot of fun. From the looks of that mod, I think I know where y'all were looking. I want to go further, to Terlingua again but the thought of the drive makes me go catatonic. I'm not seeing that other T but, you think it might be A. echinum? I was told by the T man here that they are very common where I think you were. Wait, I can see the T now, hmm, copper top... Well thanks for the pics, a good trip! A cool thing happened to me on the way back from there last time. On US90 I stopped on the side of the road just to look at the rocks. Then a big Scolopendra heros walked in front of me on the cut. It was hunting. Weird thing was that it was just after 4 pm and it was hunting in the sun, hottest time of the day! Yeehaww for all the rain out there this year. Too bad I'm real allergic to something out there. But it may be just a Spring thing with all the pollen, never been in the winter. Where'd you find the Chihuahua? You keep it, or let it go?

 

[Brent H.]

Again, a lot of tarantula identifications in the USA have been performed without proper comparison to the type material, so I'd take most IDs with a grain of salt.

The holotype of Aphonopelma echinum is from Colorado... there aren't any tarantulas in SW Texas even remotely similar to A. echinum (which is almost certainly another synonym of A. hentzi). The big brown tarantulas from A. mod country are something completely different... I have not been able to put a name on them yet.

Cool! Looks like y'all had allot of fun. From the looks of that mod, I think I know where y'all were looking. I want to go further, to Terlingua again but the thought of the drive makes me go catatonic. I'm not seeing that other T but, you think it might be A. echinum? I was told by the T man here that they are very common where I think you were. Wait, I can see the T now, hmm, copper top... Well thanks for the pics, a good trip! A cool thing happened to me on the way back from there last time. On US90 I stopped on the side of the road just to look at the rocks. Then a big Scolopendra heros walked in front of me on the cut. It was hunting. Weird thing was that it was just after 4 pm and it was hunting in the sun, hottest time of the day! Yeehaww for all the rain out there this year. Too bad I'm real allergic to something out there. But it may be just a Spring thing with all the pollen, never been in the winter. Where'd you find the Chihuahua? You keep it, or let it go?

 

[tarcan]

Very nice pictures Sky, thank you for sharing, always nice to see a succesful trip!

I think I would be out all the time if I lived close to a place with Ts!

Lucky guys

Martin

 

[Drachenjager]

Again, a lot of tarantula identifications in the USA have been performed without proper comparison to the type material, so I'd take most IDs with a grain of salt.

The holotype of Aphonopelma echinum is from Colorado... there aren't any tarantulas in SW Texas even remotely similar to A. echinum (which is almost certainly another synonym of A. hentzi). The big brown tarantulas from A. mod country are something completely different... I have not been able to put a name on them yet.

which A. moderatum are you refering to?

 

[Galapoheros]

I've come across 3 diff looking mature male Ts out there, not including the black mature A. moderatum. There seems to be allot of confusion right now and some debating about whether there are several diff species out there or not. Since they are popular arachnids, I don't understand why it hasn't been cleared up yet. Is it because there are such subtle differences?

 

[Drachenjager]

I've come across 3 diff looking mature male Ts out there, not including the black mature A. moderatum. There seems to be allot of confusion right now and some debating about whether there are several diff species out there or not. Since they are popular arachnids, I don't understand why it hasn't been cleared up yet. Is it because there are such subtle differences?

i think I know why. lol I think it has to do with some people being more concerned with getting thier name attached to a species than doing proper taxonomy. Combine that with the inability to play well together and you get lots of people with pretty fair skills and equipment working on the same thing from differant angles but too arrogant or ignorant to share info and cooperate with each other.

It used to be that scientists were all about the science, now they are all about having thier name known. At least thats how it seems. I mean if the only reason you are studying a particular thing is to get a few more letters by your name, you have lost all respect in my eyes. If you get some letters after your name because you were doing somethign strictly for the science. kudos.
Science is the search for the truth , and it dosent matter if the truth is not what you want it to be or not. This requires a real scientist to allow that he can be wrong, and that somethign he believes to be incorrect just may be the truth.

I am still curious how anyone can state emphaticly that a particular species native to the USA IS NOT in Texas. That would mean that they have covered every square .25 inches and done full taxonomical work on all species they find...Heck covering every square mile of Texas would be a task lol