Tibial hooks

[Crone Returns]

Hi. Just very curious. I understand my subadult m A. avicularia doesn't have a long shelf life. Not quite sure of his dls because the beastie won't get in a position so I can measure him. But his little palps seem to be rounding, and he's suddenly gotten skittish.
My question is will his hooks appear "overnight" or will he get little "nubs?"
Then when he has his final molt the hooks get big? Will they grow slow or fast? Thanks.

 

[KezyGLA]

On rare occasion it can be hard to see the hooks as Avics hooks as they are very hairy. If he is mature they will be there right after ultimate molt. Though if you get a good look at the palps and they are bulbous with emboli its the easiest way to tell. If he is mature he will be out much more often so you should be able to have a good look at some point. Suddenly becoming skittish is usually a characteristic of MM in some cases.

When a male molts into mature specimen the hooks will be there. But with some species it is harder to see than others. I had an Avic Avic in 2005 but it died on me as a juvenile so I havent seen this sp as mature male.

 

[Andrea82]

The hooks will be there 'overnight', meaninh they will only be there after he molts to MM. Before that last molt, there will be nothing to see.
With mantids, the signs of maturing are there before the last molt, wingbuds are visible, which will evolve to wings in the last molt. But that is not the case with T's, as far as I can tell.

 

[Graves6661]

As mentioned above, the hooks will appear after they have their ultimate molt. The male will then tend to wander the enclosure more than it used too.

 

[Crone Returns]

Thanks for the info gals and guys.
He hasn't molted since summer, but he definitely is more skittish. I'm guessing hormones are kicking in a bit. I'll cherish him with what time we've got left. Cute long legged boy.