Rehouse and update on an unexpected Amblypygid Damon

Kibosh

Arachnoknight
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Dec 6, 2013
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So things are going great for me and my surprise specimen. It is eating well and behaving normally as per my research anyway.

Taking all your notes and my own research into account I rehoused it today in to...
55efmo.jpg

Behold!

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Rehoused into a much larger tote tank. A lot of research defined my choices on this enclosure. Used a foam stony colored backdrop just to give it a sheer vertical surface to climb if it wants with a pleasant aesthetic purely for me. I know a lot of people just use plain styrofoam, but it's not for me.

Large shallow flat water dish and some sphagnum moss for humidity.

Then I used a play sand base cause it holds moisture well and prevents mold. The critter doesn't spend any time on the ground anyway unless it's hiding from light so the sub was less important to me.

Threw in a couple large pieces of cork bark, one at an angle that provides a great hide and one perfectly horizontal since they need it for molting and this individual loves to just hang upside down a lot.

Lastly a large chunk of African hard wood to give the old girl a taste of home and even more things to climb on.

Super glued it all in place except for the sand and hardwood so it doesn't shift around or fall when I move it.

Rehouseing went very well. While this family is lighting fast the fact that it seems to only travel side to side maked it's movements very predictable and I just goaded it off a piece of its old cork bark into it's new tank.

Feel like this tank gives it much more space and room to molt, grow, and hunt. With its whip sensors it is a far more efficient hunter over wide areas then a T is relying soley on vibrations and it's immediate hide/web.

Please give me your notes and criticisms. The tank is not the clear enclosure I wanted, but it's the exact dimensions I think would be best for the animal and it's needs supersede my own.

Lastly I still have a question about this specimens species and sex? From what I can tell I actually think it's a Damon diadema instead of a medius simply by it's more green coloration and it's spots. Also think it is a female based on its shorter pedipalps from the diagrams I have seen. But I am far from an expert in this family. I would appreciate any further input. Attached is some more pics for reference. Sorry for the poor quality... Phone camera.

Look forward to any notes or input! Love this little critter so far, just as beautiful and interesting if not more so then any of my T's!

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Hardus nameous

Yes, but only on Tuesdays!
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I'd guess D. medius by the banding on legs three and four in the last picture, but I could be wrong.
Watching Amblypygi hunt is always a treat.
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

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It’s definitely not diadema. The features you noted are not ones that differentiate diadema from medius. The banding on the legs clearly tells you it cannot be diadema - it would have 3 very obvious pale bands on the femurs. Pedipalp length is not a perfect way to sex these - you’ll get a definitive answer by getting a good look at the underside. Female Damon have a strip of red hairs at the base of the genital operculum. The least traumatic way to view the underside is to gently coax it onto your hand, try to get it to settle on your fingers, and then look between your spread fingers at the abdomen.

I’m not entirely sure I understand why you went with sand - in moist conditions with minimal ventilation, which is what these need, I don’t see how sand will prevent mould, and it means you can’t have a cleanup crew. I guess we’ll see what happens. Anyway, I wish you good luck with your experimental setup.
 

Kibosh

Arachnoknight
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Dec 6, 2013
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It’s definitely not diadema. The features you noted are not ones that differentiate diadema from medius. The banding on the legs clearly tells you it cannot be diadema - it would have 3 very obvious pale bands on the femurs. Pedipalp length is not a perfect way to sex these - you’ll get a definitive answer by getting a good look at the underside. Female Damon have a strip of red hairs at the base of the genital operculum. The least traumatic way to view the underside is to gently coax it onto your hand, try to get it to settle on your fingers, and then look between your spread fingers at the abdomen.

I’m not entirely sure I understand why you went with sand - in moist conditions with minimal ventilation, which is what these need, I don’t see how sand will prevent mould, and it means you can’t have a cleanup crew. I guess we’ll see what happens. Anyway, I wish you good luck with your experimental setup.
You know far more about it then I do so I will take your word for it. Just want to make sure my labels are right. It does have red bristles on it's under side. Not sure if they are at "the base of the genital operculum" but they are definitely down there lol. I will have to get a pic the next chance I get.

I figured mold would have a more difficult time growing on sand and the fact that many of them live at the mouths of caves would make sand more natural for them. Guess I was wrong. Don't see how it will actively hurt though as long as I tidy up after it's meals.
 

Albireo Wulfbooper

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Aug 1, 2019
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You know far more about it then I do so I will take your word for it. Just want to make sure my labels are right. It does have red bristles on it's under side. Not sure if they are at "the base of the genital operculum" but they are definitely down there lol. I will have to get a pic the next chance I get.

I figured mold would have a more difficult time growing on sand and the fact that many of them live at the mouths of caves would make sand more natural for them. Guess I was wrong. Don't see how it will actively hurt though as long as I tidy up after it's meals.
On virgin sand, mould will have a hard time growing, I agree. However, faeces from the amblypygi and prey, plus missed prey parts and such may provide a breeding ground. Normally springtails do a fantastic job of taking care of that sort of thing, but I don't think they can live on sand (I could be wrong about that), so it's hard for me to predict whether you'll see less mould or more mould with the sand. I guess we'll find out!

Here is a photo from @JordanC showing the red hairs you're looking for. This is D. diadema but its the same for all Damon.
 

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