Spanish Funnel web (Macrothele calpeiana)

[Steveyruss]

Hey, after buying numerous tarantulas and scorpions I've started to turn my head towards true spiders to add to my growing collection.

Yesterday I found some Spanish Funnel webs online being sold for a reasonable price. I could find very little information apart from how large they can get and the fact that they are protected under EU laws.

Does anyone have any care sheets for the Macrothele calpeiana?

what sort of a set up will one need?

Will crickets be okay to feed them?

How long do they live?

How toxic is their venom compared to tarantulas?

 

[Venom]

This article has lots of relevant information, even if it is a breeding article:

http://giantspiders.com/article11.html


As for their venom, they are not considered "deadly," but you shouldn't take them lightly either. Bites should be avoided.

Just out of curiousity, where did you see them for sale? Are you in Europe or North America?

 

[Steveyruss]

I live in the UK so tracking down sellers of this species is not difficult at all.

Thanks for the info, I will start reading it now.

Does anyone on the board possess any of these and what are their personal experiences of keeping them?

 

[froggyman]

Just out of curiousity, where did you see them for sale? Are you in Europe or North America?

Venom, Todd Gearheart of Tarantulaspiders.com had some for sale last i check if you are interested

 

[Venom]

Venom, Todd Gearheart of Tarantulaspiders.com had some for sale last i check if you are interested

Thanks! But he's out of them right now.

 

[froggyman]

oh really? it had been about a month since i was last there so....but anyway your welcome

 

[hamfoto]

I saw that you said you were interested in "true" spiders (which is a ridiculous term :? )...which is cool, lots to experience...but Macrothele is not a "true" spider, they are a Mygalomorph (just like T's).

Chris

 

[Steveyruss]

I saw that you said you were interested in "true" spiders (which is a ridiculous term )...which is cool, lots to experience...but Macrothele is not a "true" spider, they are a Mygalomorph (just like T's).

Chris

Should this be in the tarantula forum then??

 

[Pulk]

Should this be in the tarantula forum then??

it's not a tarantula, but it -is- an 'other arachnid'

 

[John Apple]

They are easy to raise so far...1/10 sling to a 2" adult male and female took about a year
The slings to .5" seem rather moisture sensitive so never let them dry out for too long
Large enclosures work well for adults. ya know 5-10 gallon tank
The females are misted every other day . The male is rotated between two females every week. I have witnessed copulation sevetimes and with each female he has lived for about two days each romp.
Temp is around 75 day and maybe 70 at night.
They are fast as hell when they want to be but clumsy on smooth surfaces.
Cannot climb glass.
Eggsac production...?... will have to wait and see.
Sexing seem rather easy as the females have a heavily scleritisized [spelling] epigynum where as the males do not, heh heh they are hairy

 

[michaelcb]

i am not the expert but i am pretty sure that true spiders is a simpler term for mygalomorphae. tarantulas, funnel webs, trapdoors and wolf spiders all fall under the term mygalomorphae. araneomorphae however are not true spiders

 

[Richard McJimsey]

i am not the expert but i am pretty sure that true spiders is a simpler term for mygalomorphae. tarantulas, funnel webs, trapdoors and wolf spiders all fall under the term mygalomorphae. araneomorphae however are not true spiders

Lycosids are NOT mygalomorphs..

 

[Venom]

araneomorphae however are not true spiders

Scratch that, reverse it.

i am not the expert but i am pretty sure that true spiders is a simpler term for mygalomorphae. tarantulas, funnel webs, trapdoors and wolf spiders all fall under the term mygalomorphae.

All the above are Mygales / mygalomorphae except the Lycosids ( wolf spiders ), as Rick said. "True Spider" is short for an araneomorph.

 

[Draiman]

i am not the expert but i am pretty sure that true spiders is a simpler term for mygalomorphae. tarantulas, funnel webs, trapdoors and wolf spiders all fall under the term mygalomorphae. araneomorphae however are not true spiders

No. The "true" spiders are the labidognath ("pinching" fangs) araneomorphs; they're considered morphologically more advanced than the orthognath mygales. Tarantulas, funnelwebs, trapdoors are classed under the infraorder Mygalomorphae; wolf spiders are labidognaths and so are classed under Araneomorphae.

Personally I don't see how the Araneomorphs are "true" spiders and the Mygales are not. I think labelling the latter "primitive spiders" would be accurate, but I'm not so sure about the term "true" being applied to Araneomorphae. But that's a different topic.

 

[burmish101]

True spiders & OTHER arachnids forum, I think you chose the right forum!

 

[hamfoto]

they're considered morphologically more advanced...I think labelling the latter "primitive spiders" would be accurate

Ewww..."advanced" is not a correct term. They are considered more derived than mygalomorphs. And "primitive" is a silly term as well...all organisms have not been evolving for the same amount of time.

Chris

 

[John Apple]

On another note...nothing yet chris and one male ate one female...but the really big female is still doing well and co existing with the larger male

 

[Draiman]

Ewww..."advanced" is not a correct term. They are considered more derived than mygalomorphs. And "primitive" is a silly term as well...all organisms have not been evolving for the same amount of time.

Chris

Thank you for the correction.

 

[Tobytron]

Im having touble finding the gender of my two wild caught spanish funnel webs and i would like some advice on care. Please help, i cant seem to find anybody who knows how to keep these guys properly.