Three-part leg on juvenile Xenesthis

[Joro13]

Hi folks - I'm curious if anyone has ever seen something like this before. Recently purchased a juvenile Xenesthis sp. bright, and when it arrived I noticed that it was favoring one of its forelegs. On closer inspection, the leg actually looks like it splits into three (!) different termini. I've seen malformed legs from bad molts, and small legs that are in the process of getting regrown, but this is the first time I've ever seen a split or multi-ended leg. My current theory is that the spider may have lost it in a previous molt and just... regrew it kind of wonky, especially since it seems to be smaller than the other seven legs.

Has anyone ever seen this? If so, did it happen after a previous limb loss? Did the deformity molt out or did it persist over multiple molts?

P.S. Taking name suggestions for this lil' guy because my partner and I cannot keep referring to the poor creature as "ten-legs"

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

Very strange I’ve never seen this before.

 

[kingshockey]

it reminds me of a star nosed mole

 

[DaveM]

This is amazing! When a limb is lost, a pool of cells called the blastema forms to regenerate the limb over successive molts. Here, the blastema must've been split into three separate pools of cells. Please post updates as this spider grows and molts! You might have the only ten-legged tarantula that we will ever get to see! Very exciting!!!

 

[zsiciarz]

I recall from a Polish board a Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens sling that had a leg with double metatarsus/tarsus. Can't find it right now though.