Sexing of the P. metallica

[Heather]

I wanted to know about sexing of the p. metallica. I understand that the Pokies in general are difficult to sex ventrally... but I was wondering about this...

My metallica has been sexed a female...
I noticed this little patch of 'blue' on her abdomen:

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l246/morgan0731/Kimber010close.jpg

I do not know what that particular area is called :? ... what I was wanting to know is this: Does this little blue patch have anything to do with determining sex? Do both the male and the female have this 'mark'?

 

[Talkenlate04]

You have to take a few more pictures from a few different angles, including a dead on picture. I think that picture is playing tricks with the lighting.
You are right that patch normally would be a slight indicator of a sex, but you are also right in saying Pokies are hard to sex vertrally. Very hard to sex ventrally, So I would wait for a molt myself.

 

[Heather]

I did have the molt sexed my Michael Jacobi and he emailed the results informing that this p. met was indeed a female.

I agree with the lighting... as I only noticed this area in this pic. I was just curious if the blue color was there, then it was safe to say it was indeed a female. This pic was taken a few days before her molt, so maybe that had something to do with it as well :? Idk.

I just noticed the color there, I don't know a thing about sexing any T, even from the molt :8o ...

 

[Talkenlate04]

If Michael Jacobi said female from the molt I don't think you have much to worry about. :clap:

 

[Tunedbeat]

Female are more noticeable when they pass 4".
Here is a ventral of a female at 4 1/2"

 

[billopelma]

Sexing by epiandrous fusillae (sp?) is difficult on a lot of T's, even more so on poec's and often more so still by photograph.
In this case the blue refraction evidently means little.
The trianglular area you are refering to, (which I think is called the epigynum) is often different looking than the surrounding area, be it on a male or female. The feature we're looking for to indicate a male is on this triangle, a noticably denser 'patch' of specialized setae toward the bottom edge along the epigastric furrow, usually in the shape of a cresent or smaller triangle (the epigastrisc furrow is the fold that runs along the lower edge of the top booklungs and the epigynum). It is not always a different shade or color.
Males will also sometimes show a little dimple (the gonopore), also located in the middle of the bottom edge. In this picture there is a bit of an 'artifact' on the enclosure that makes it look like a bald spot right where the dimple would be. This could lead many to mistake it for a male, particulary if the photo is not very clear or is taken at an angle that does not show the slightly swollen area just on the opposite lower side of the furrow, a typically female trait. There are some pretty clear examples on the 'sexing for dummies ' sticky.

This is also a female...

Confirmed spermathecae on exuvium.

Bill