Vietnam Bird Eater tarantula

[PeterKlaasi]

It looks like a chinese black tiger to me. Here are the links:

http://www.e-spiderworld.com/gallery/pages/Haplopelma sp Chinese Black Tiger.htm

http://www.e-spiderworld.com/gallery/index_15.htm

 

[Scolopendra55]

The genus Haplopelma is SO CONFUSING!!!!!

 

[David Burns]

Yes the Haplopelma sp. is quite mixed up and you will rarely know what you have. But there are some some bright people working on the problem and 2 of these experts are going to be Keynote speakers at the ArachnoCon in San Antonio Texas on the 13-15 of july 2006.

 

[masticore1984]

the one in question looks like a H. longipes but from were you got it at i think it is a Haplopelma Sp."veitnam" those are my suggestions
i've got 3 of these

 

[phormingochilus]

@ Peterklaasi: "It looks like a chinese black tiger to me. Here are the links:"

&

@ Randolph: "can it be H.shcmidti "dark morph?""

Do any of you see the prominent "sideburns" (relatively long white erect hairs along the outer edge of the cheliceral bases) that distinguishes the "schmidti group of Haplopelma?

I don't

I go with Martin H. and Leon: For me it cannot be H. longipes nor O. aureotibialis due to the features mentioned and demonstrated by the two. To my eye it looks like the Haplopelma species commonly imported from Vietnam, in the hobby as H. sp. "Vietnam" allegedly and possibly a synonym for a regional colour variety of H. minax.

To place a spider in the correct genus is hard enough - to define it as a definite species is very very difficult and almost impossible from a picture alone, though you can go along way with locality data and overall morphology ... and many years of specialised experience ...

Regards
Søren

 

[PeterKlaasi]

isn't vietnam bordering china ? It's not like T's need passports do they ?

 

[phormingochilus]

Off course they don't need passport and of course they don't respect man made borders, but there are definite morphologic differences between the spider in question and the "schmidti" group (distributed in Vietnam as well). One such stable morphologic character is the morphology of the retrolateral scopula of the cheliceral bases = commonly known as the "side-burns", "moustache" etc. a character which can be distinguished immediatly and without microscope, and which the spider in question do not posses to the degree found in the "schmidti" group. Thus it cannot be H. schmidti, H. huwenum, H. hainanum or any of the other species in the "schmidti" group within Haplopelma. On the contrary it do share many overall morphological characteristics of the "minax" group, but not the ones associated with H. lividum, H.longipes (both have longer and ore robust leg IV than leg I. H. longipes has very well-developed metatarsal scopula on leg IV) or H. albostriatum (prominent white lines on the extremeties). Thus the locality and the morphology suggest what we in the hobby know as Haplopelma sp. "Vietnam" and which some has suggested to be merely a geographic colour variety of H. minax.

Hope this elucidated more than it obscured

Very Best Regards
Søren

isn't vietnam bordering china ? It's not like T's need passports do they ?

 

[Lopez]

isn't vietnam bordering china ? It's not like T's need passports do they ?

Soren did not rule out your suggestion because of geography, he ruled it out using physical characteristics.

The spider referred to as "Chinese Black Tiger" has a prominent cheliceral beard - the spider we are debating the ID of does not....

 

[phormingochilus]

One second too slow on the reply buttom Leon ;-)

See you at the BTS ;-)

Regards
Søren

 

[MindUtopia]

isn't vietnam bordering china ? It's not like T's need passports do they ?

One of the downfalls of trying to ID by pics alone. You can get a good idea with many species but in genuses like this one and Avicularia it's just a guess in the dark in the absence of distinct morphologic characteristics (which often just narrow the list without pointing to a distinct concrete answer).

 

[GailC]

I just got the same kind of T myself nasty little thing she is and already down a hole. Very cool spider and my first old world species.

 

[phormingochilus]

With the difference that with the "minax" group and "schmidti" group within the genus Haplopelma as it stands today, we have stable and good characters for most described species (and all of the material from the former Siam) ;-)

So not just a guess in the dark with this one ;-)

Regards
Søren

One of the downfalls of trying to ID by pics alone. You can get a good idea with many species but in genuses like this one and Avicularia it's just a guess in the dark in the absence of distinct morphologic characteristics (which often just narrow the list without pointing to a distinct concrete answer).

 

[MindUtopia]

To place a spider in the correct genus is hard enough - to define it as a definite species is very very difficult and almost impossible from a picture alone, though you can go along way with locality data and overall morphology ... and many years of specialised experience ...

Hmmm, that's not what you said above. I was agreeing with you, but now you seem to be contradicting yourself.

 

[phormingochilus]

On which point(s) if I may ask? ;-)

Regards
Søren

Hmmm, that's not what you said above. I was agreeing with you, but now you seem to be contradicting yourself.

 

[spiderguy25827]

viteman birdeater

hello my name is eric i have one if these t i have been told it isd a longipidum but i am not to sure so can some help me please :?

 

[FOX]

Now then, i think this may solve my problem, i have one of these nasty little fellows, i have just put a thread on about him, the difference is mine is very black but still has grey chevrons, so mine could be a minix eh? Mine was titled ''selenocosmia, vietman black.
I will post pics as i've got to sort this one out, its driving me crazy. Jay x

 

[smof]

Soren did not rule out your suggestion because of geography, he ruled it out using physical characteristics.

The spider referred to as "Chinese Black Tiger" has a prominent cheliceral beard - the spider we are debating the ID of does not....

That spider is awesome!