Sexing ~1yr ~6" L. Parahybana, what to look for ? Hilfe, hilfe :7

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Help me sex Potato!

I know I know, there is no pic as of now. There will be, as soon as I can get ahold of someone with a digital camera, 'cause the ones I took with my not-so-nearsighted analog camera were all no es bueno.

So here I am, with a spider I suspect is a male, and I can get a good look whenever I wish by spooking it up onto a glass side, but looking at old sexing-threads and their pictures, and various guides on the net, and then Potato's underside, just gives me a headache.

There are no obvious 'lips' along the epigastric furrow, that I can tell, but it isn't really just a straight line either. The dark area I'm supposed to look for 'anterior' of this furrow (I have no clue what anterior is, lexicon doesn't either, dumb word, but I'm assuming it means, in this case, 'right in the center, just above the furrow') seems inconclusive, at best. The book-lungs furthest up are quite close to each other, but they are also quite tilted.

I suck at this, so if anyone can give me any specific hints to look for, I'd be grateful.

(It was sold as a female, I might add. I must stop trusting seemingly 'respectable' people,,my last T bought here by another collector was a wrong kind of avic but I like her nonetheless(the avic, not the cursed dealer) )
 
Last edited:

Vayu Son

Avatar of Anansi
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
808
><

Semi-hints: If it is a mature specimen and the anterior(anterior meaning in this case toward the head, or in front of... so the pair of booklungs closest to the prosoma are the anterior booklungs, and the epiandrous fussilae are anterior to the epigastric furrow. The front of a human is anterior, the back is posterior. Anterior is also synonymous with ventral, and posterior with dorsal.) booklungs are tilted and the epigastric furrow a curve, then this may indicate a female, since it is usually the presence of spermethacae in the female that tilts the booklungs. The relative size of chellicerae to the prosoma and the abdomen may indicate sex as well, im also not sure how large lasiodora males get.

Foolproof hints: If you have a molt and see the spermethecae(leaflike or antennae in the middle (or sagittal) to the anterior booklungs then it is a female. Males do not have spermethecae.

Locating the epiandrous fussilae(only other foolproof method) can be difficult and alot of those experienced still have trouble identifying it. Theres a good section at http://birdspiders.com/faq_sex.html on it.

good luck,

-V
 
Last edited:

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
It is not mature (Still brown), but as said the booklungs appear to be tilted, while it doesn't seem as if there is a direct arch on the furrow, there might be a slight arch, I just can't tell :/

While this individual seems to be in premolt (won't eat), I'd rather not wait until it has molted ..reason being this guy I got it from will leave the country somewhere around the 21:st >:7

Looking for that fussilae (looking for distinct dark patch of setae, possibly within larger patch (making up the 'dish'), doesn't seem to help me. Really hard to tell, so parahybana-specific tips would be outstanding. Any other hints as well.
 

tarantulakeeper

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
173
I'm going to try to attach two pictures of my female L. parahybana's molt which occured Wednesday. They look good on my monitor but I don't know how they'll come out here. Let's see.
 

tarantulakeeper

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
173
Okay, first one not bad. Inbetween the book lung you'll find a deinitive "flap" with two small "buds". Much easy to see in real in front of you but hopefully these will help.

PS to Scott, how are two images attached to one reply? Thanks, John
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Hmm, nice pictures! Alas, I don't have a molt to compare with..perhaps you could take a picture of its exterior? :)

You just use the IMG-tag to add pictures,.
 

Tarantula Lover

Psalmopoeus Lover
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 21, 2002
Messages
1,373
hey

if you need help on the vocab and stuff, open up the sticky-Basic Tarantula anotamy! Hope you have a female! And Good Luck!

James
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Version 0.9 - now with pic!


 
Last edited:

Vayu Son

Avatar of Anansi
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
808
><

Looks female to me... I cannot see any fussilae and it should be apparent at 6". Also noticed the tilted booklungs and the little bump on the epigastric furrow that would indicate the spermethecae.

Without a molt though its just an educated guess...maybe someone else here can give you some more feedback?

-V
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
I hope so! :)

Thanks for yours Vayu, I can only hope it is correct.
I thought that dark boomerang shaped area above the furrow was the fussilae?
And I can see no real 'arch', on that furrow, or any 'lips' ?
Gah, may I someday learn.
 

Vayu Son

Avatar of Anansi
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
808
><

It is possible in retrospect that the arch is what you think it may be... I am used to it being more condensed and triangular. Id like some input from someone who actually keeps lasiodora sp.

-V
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Help people, heelp,..surely there are more who can do the boy-or-girl-game? :)
 

Steve Nunn

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 30, 2002
Messages
1,781
Re: ><

Originally posted by Vayu Son
Anterior is also synonymous with ventral, and posterior with dorsal.) -V
It's a female.

VS, Anterior is the front of, ventral is underneath of, posterior is the back of and dorsal is the top of. They aren't synonymous. To look at, say a spider, from the front is an anterior view, from the back is a posterior view. Looking at the spider from above is a dorsal view, looking at the underneath of a spider is the ventral view. Let me put it like this, dorsal view (a view from the top of ....), ventral view (a view from underneath of....), lateral view (a view from the side of....). To get further into it there's retrolateral views and prolateral views too, depending on whether you are looking at the inside or outside lateral view (eg, which side of the chelicerae is one referring to, retrolateral [inside]or prolateral [outside]).

Hope this clears things a bit ;)

Cheers,
Steve
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Ahh, thanks Steve. And for that relatively exhaustive explanation of views, too :D

So I take it female Lasiodoras, or perhaps just parahybanas, don't have very pronounced 'lips' very early on ?
 

Steve Nunn

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 30, 2002
Messages
1,781
Originally posted by Vys
So I take it female Lasiodoras, or perhaps just parahybanas, don't have very pronounced 'lips' very early on ?
I think it's all relative, L.parahybana are damn large, compare this instar to say, B.smithi and you'll get a far smaller spider. At the same instar, similar features would be evident. Besides that, there aren't any epiandrous fusillae visible (this is the sure giveaway), there's quite a 'gap' between the anterior book lungs and some sclerotization (what may be called 'lips') at the epigastric furrow.

Cheers,
Steve
 

Vayu Son

Avatar of Anansi
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
808
><

As you say steve. But anterior and ventral are indeed synonymous in bipeds and that is where my knowledge is focused. Thanks for the corrections ;)

Congrats vys, thought it was female.

-V
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Yes, thanks, and hurray, I don't have to mess around to get a female, and I can let my doubts wither.
Now I can only wait for her to molt, as she must be getting ready to, since she won't eat. And one day, she'll get her pretty colours :)
 

Gillian

Arachnoblessed
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
1,123
Vys,
Try this link...
http://www.arachnopets.com/arachnoboards/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3451
Code Monkey sent this to me. With it, I have sexed half of my bigger lings and juvies. Of course, I'll wait til they mature, to be sure, or that, I see a molt. But it was very apparent, once I knew what to look for. Btw, after I had misted their enclosures, they usually climb the sides. If they stay there long enough, I shine a flashlight on their abdomens.
Peace,
Gillian
 

Vys

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
1,560
Gillian, thanks; I looked at that thread before..in fact, looking at those pictures again, I can't understand how my Potato can be either of the common genders :)

About the misting thing; haha, almost what I do :) I almost never mist though. When luring it (her) up onto a side, I gently but insistenly blow on her.
 

Gillian

Arachnoblessed
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
1,123
Originally posted by Vys
Gillian, thanks; I looked at that thread before..in fact, looking at those pictures again, I can't understand how my Potato can be either of the common genders :)

About the misting thing; haha, almost what I do :) I almost never mist though. When luring it (her) up onto a side, I gently but insistenly blow on her.
Vys,
it takes some practice..:) i think, of late, that some of my t's hear a mister and run, out of reflex. i haven't ever sprayed them intentionally, but a very few times, i think either moisture or, water landed near them..
Peace,
Gillian
 
Top