Ultimate Stage

[bluerich74]

I should know this but how can you tell when a tarantula reaches its ultimate stage,especially males from their appearence...Thanks.......Rich

 

[dennis]

When males reach their ultimate stage, those hooks under his first pair of legs are visible (not too sure about the real name of those things), and the little 'boxing gloves' (don't know the real name of this either ) at the end of the pedipalps.


Dennis

 

[SpiderTwin]

When a male has his ultimate molt, you should notice his tibial hooks on his first set of legs and he will also have bulbous ends on his pedipalps. Like dennie mentioned, his pedipalps will be shorter and look like little "boxing gloves".

 

[Code Monkey]

One thing to keep in mind, not all species get tibial apophyses at maturity (e.g. Poecilotheria spp.) but all do have palpal bulbs.

Check this thread for a complete list of those without tibial apophyses.

 

[bluerich74]

Ok guys,I see now.Thanks alot...Rich

 

[L_mactans]

How about a female? Is there any definite signs that tell when she is fully mature and ready to breed? Or does it just go by size?

Kelly (L_mac)

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by L_mactans
How about a female? Is there any definite signs that tell when she is fully mature and ready to breed? Or does it just go by size?

Mainly size combined with things like development of the genital slit along with development of the spermathecae.

The tricky part: evidence points to females actually being breedable in general at much smaller sizes, evidence also points to final size of the female being related to how large she was before being bred the first time, and other evidence points to clutch size being dependent on female size.

 

[Tangled WWWeb]

Originally posted by Code Monkey
Mainly size combined with things like development of the genital slit along with development of the spermathecae.

The tricky part: evidence points to females actually being breedable in general at much smaller sizes, evidence also points to final size of the female being related to how large she was before being bred the first time, and other evidence points to clutch size being dependent on female size.

CM,

Some females are definitely breedable at smaller sizes. I recently got a large number of slings from a relatively small (approx. 4.5") "L. cristata".

My question concerns the part about the female's final size in relation to when she was bred. Is the size only affected if the female goes on to make an eggsac from this breeding? What about virgin sacs? I had a 5" L. striatipes that I raised from a sling that recently made an eggsac without being mated. Is there evidence that this will affect her final size?

John

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by JP version 1.0
Is the size only affected if the female goes on to make an eggsac from this breeding? What about virgin sacs? I had a 5" L. striatipes that I raised from a sling that recently made an eggsac without being mated. Is there evidence that this will affect her final size?

I wish I could tell you. This tidbit of information is from a dialogue that went on in either the ATS_enthusiast or Arachnid_world mailing list with Darrin Vernier being one of the main contributors if memory serves. It was based on long term captives and what size they were initially bred at and what size they finally obtained, but nothing about virgin sacs was noted.

I would hypothesize that a virgin sac would probably be equally detrimental to the final size as the same energy is required on the females part to produce it, though.