What is wrong? Please help!!!

[xhexdx]

Yes, obviously...

Search for my posts to answer your question.

I'm going to start calling my spiders 'Port Richey Brown and Yellow Flying Spiders' just because I can, and it'll be recognized as a common name. :wall:

My point is that just because someone calls a spider something, doesn't make it a "real" common name, as you call it.

This is also why common names are bad. Stick with scientific names to begin with and you won't have discussions like this.

 

[BillieJean]

My condolences for your loss, I hope your kids aren't too sad

May I ask for your source?

Really? Is that all you're concerned about?

Here's a source, you [edit]:

Tarantula Keeper's Guide, second edition, p. 264

P.S. as the original poster already said, he came here for advice on his dying (now dead) tarantula, not a discussion of common names...we "won't have discussions like this" when people like you loosen up and accept that people are going to call animals what ever the hell they want to call them. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to feed my Big Black Brazilian now.

 

[xhexdx]

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to feed my Big Black Brazilian now.

No need to be racist.

Regarding calling animals whatever they want...that's kind of like not caring about proper spelling or punctuation. All it does is make you look stupid or ignorant.

 

[BillieJean]

I'd rather be a nice person and look ignorant, than look knowledgable and be inconsiderate like you. The time to sound well-informed isn't when someone's pet is dying, we're hobbyists not scientists. There's no good reason to give someone trouble for using an outdated common name, when he's asking for advice about what might be wrong with it. I don't think anyone needed to know the exact species of his spider except for you.

You're welcome for your much-needed source.

 

[xhexdx]

No sense of humor, huh?

Just because you edit your name-calling doesn't make you look any better.

Nice edit, by the way.

I never said I needed to know the species of spider, nor did I 'give someone trouble' for using it. I simply asked for a source regarding the common name. Thank you for providing it, then admitting it was also outdated.

It most definitely is important to know what species of spider we are talking about, especially when someone is worried that the spider is dying. Spend a little more time on the boards and you'll find that out.

 

[Lisa Gayle 713]

xhedx- Please lighten up. I have heard it "Mexican blond, Arizona blond, and Desert blond". The OP said "Alphonopelma chalcodes" so you would know what she was talking about. sheeesh!

starlight kitsu +1
Billie Jean- I just knew it was in the TKG! Thank you for citing it! +11

Stormie- I am really sorry for your loss. It is always a blow to the heart when one loses a fuzzy friend. I hope you will consider acquiring a new T, perhaps a sling.... in time... when you and your son are ready.

 

[KnightinGale]

Truly, the important part of this post is about the poor tarantula that has died and the family that kept it.
My condolences as well. I hope your son will have the heart to try again. They are wonderful creatures and very rewarding to watch and learn about. You say you think it looked rather like DKs in this case which it may have been. You will know from looking it up now that nobody knows the cause or (more probably) causes behind this. But, you could always try some things to help prevent it from happening again, like getting rid of any "outside" materials that may have been in the tarantula cage. If you used any cleaner on the cage before or are unsure if it had chemicals used on it before you got it, you could soap it down and rinse it very thoroughly. Be sure that any chemicals etc. aren't even kept near the cage. Or even if you aren't sure of the feeder crickets from one pet store, you may try buying them from another instead. I don't know. Might help.
Good luck in the future!

Knight in Gale

 

[starlight_kitsune]

I'd rather be a nice person and look ignorant, than look knowledgable and be inconsiderate like you. The time to sound well-informed isn't when someone's pet is dying, we're hobbyists not scientists. There's no good reason to give someone trouble for using an outdated common name, when he's asking for advice about what might be wrong with it. I don't think anyone needed to know the exact species of his spider except for you.

You're welcome for your much-needed source.

Thank you!

 

[Arakatac]

Gotta love those random Internet sources that don't let science or standards get in their way.

For those who want to know the "real" common names (not always the ones made up by amateurs on the web), there is a reference that gets posted here once in a while. It's "The Common Names of Arachnids", put out by the The American Arachnological Society, Committee on Common Names of Arachnids. It can fe found at http://www.atshq.org/articles/acn5.pdf. They do not recognize a "Mexican Blonde".

Interestingly enough, the also do not recognize "Tucson Blonde", although this is the name it's most often called in the hobby. The official designation is: Aphonopelma chalcodes Chamberlin, desert blond tarantula.

So this is the standard we should all be using? Well let's hear it for those authoritative sources dating back to 2003! . Interesting as well that the august committee doesn't recognize Grammostola aureostriata, Grammostola pulchripes, Gold-Knee, Gold-Stripe, or Chaco, so I guess none of them exist, and what I've really got is a Speckled-Breasted Sonofagunslinger ... oops, the 2003 edition doesn't recognize that either ... what does the 2010 edition say? ... aw what's in a name anyway? - he eats, he molts, he sits around and looks pretty, and he does all the things all of the above-named are supposed to do, so what's all the fuss ?

Tomato-tomahto, from what I've read DKS doesn't play favorites. Scientific name/common name - in this case it doesn't really matter, does it? Which brings us back to the point.

Sorry we couldn't help Stormie. And we're sorry for your loss! (And if you want to call your spider a Mexican Blonde, you go right ahead, and may the "experts" hereafter be referred to as ... (fill-in-the-blank)!

 

[Vespula]

Sorry for your loss, Stormie. It's always sad to lose a friend...

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

Truly sorry for your loss. Don't give up.

And on to the common name thing, xhexdx is right. Just because someone wants to call something what they want, doesn't mean it's correct. If the whole town I lived in wanted to call a P. audax jumper a Tennessee green fang spider, then how would you know what we were referring to? That's why there is a list of accepted common names, that way a million different people don't call the same thing a million different names and we can be on the same page.

One doesn't need a source to say that a specific tarantula was called a specific name in this area. Obviously where Stormie is A. Chalcodes is called a mexican blond.

Why would an A. chalcodes be called a Mexican blonde in Arizona?

So this is the standard we should all be using?

If you are going to be in the hobby then yes this is the standard. Until a new edition comes out, this is the current standard, and all other name changes such as P. muticus and G. pulchripes, you'll have to keep up with yourself.

Just throwing some points out, don't want any trouble

 

[BillieJean]

If the whole town I lived in wanted to call a P. audax jumper a Tennessee green fang spider, then how would you know what we were referring to? That's why there is a list of accepted common names, that way a million different people don't call the same thing a million different names and we can be on the same page.

I don't disagree we need to accept current standards and conventions (even if they are seven years old) to make everyone's life simple. However, IMO, following the standard for scientific names is much more important than doing so for common names.

I don't see the point of getting all anal about it being called a Mexican blonde, as long as the scientific name is given so we're all on the same page...

Fun fact: The first edition of TKG didn't even use scientific names

 

[skinheaddave]

Well, I see this thread has descended into madness. I've made some edits and handed out some infractions. Please don't make me do so again.

Now, if you want to continue your discussion about "real" or "standard" common names in a civil way then please feel free to proceed. That won't make the concept any less humorous, though. The only concept I find funnier than standardized common names is the thought that the hobby can, as a whole, use scientific names and do anything but occasionally hit on a rough approximation of the biological reality of the situation.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Bill S]

So this is the standard we should all be using? Well let's hear it for those authoritative sources dating back to 2003! . Interesting as well that the august committee doesn't recognize Grammostola aureostriata, Grammostola pulchripes, Gold-Knee, Gold-Stripe, or Chaco, so I guess none of them exist, and what I've really got is a Speckled-Breasted Sonofagunslinger ... oops, the 2003 edition doesn't recognize that either ... what does the 2010 edition say? ... aw what's in a name anyway? - he eats, he molts, he sits around and looks pretty, and he does all the things all of the above-named are supposed to do, so what's all the fuss ?

I know I'll be called rude for this, but it appears that some people are deliberately dense.

Standards are set by committees, and the validity they have depends on the status of the committee members or the organizations behind them. In the case of the standards listed above, all committee members are well known arachnologists and the American Arachnological Society is without a doubt the top scientific organization in this hemisphere focusing on arachnids. They certainly have a lot more respect and credibility than someone on an amateur hobbyist forum who hides behind a made-up name.

Someone with a bit more background in science might realize that a publication on common name standards is not a monthly or yearly magazine and does not come out with yearly updates. A group of scientists worked together on this project using all the scientific literature available at that time (2003) and published a standardized list of common names. Not all of the many thousands of species of arachnids will be included - largely because the vast majority do not have common names. This includes many of the tarantulas that have gained popularity in the past few years but were not commonly in the hobby prior to 2003. If the committee reconvenes they will update their list based on literature and common use within the hobby - but even that will have some gaps. Many of the varieties appearing in the hobby currently are poorly identified. Aphonopelma chalcodes, for example, is undergoing taxonomic revision. Some varieties of tarantula have not been formally described and are only known as "sp. X". Many that are being sold under scientific names are inaccurately identified, or there may be more than one species being marketed under one name.

There are some people on this board who are as sloppy about the use of names as a cheap pet shop - as Arakatac says, "... aw what's in a name anyway? - he eats, he molts, he sits around and looks pretty...". For people like that, scientific standards will be lost anyway.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

+1 Bill, very nice post.

 

[xhexdx]

I also agree with Bill.

Fun fact: The first edition of TKG didn't even use scientific names

First edition is copyright 1998, right?

Funny, there are scientific names all throughout my copy...

 

[Arakatac]

If you are going to be in the hobby then yes this is the standard. Until a new edition comes out, this is the current standard, and all other name changes such as P. muticus and G. pulchripes, you'll have to keep up with yourself.

Well thank you for that unintentionally hilarious response to my post, a response which, by the way, TOTALLY sidesteps the point, which is that somebody’s tarantula is sick, and somebody came here seeking help, and this is NOT the appropriate time and place to argue about the tarantula’s name, demand sources, blame the OP for the unpardonable sin of referring to her Tarantula as something you don’t like, and to insult posters that you disagree with! (Meanwhile, as the nomenclature police expound, the tarantula dies).

I’ve been around this forum long enough to notice that if somebody were to start a thread stating what a nice day it is today, one of the usual suspects would come along and look for a fight, even if it meant completely ignoring the original theme of the thread.

So it is with this thread (and so many others) - the good news is that far more well-intentioned respondents actually addressed the pertinent issue: the sick tarantula.

My advice, (which I myself will try to heed in the future), is that we ignore the non-sequiturs and focus on the subject. Consider the source - the self-appointed bullies on this forum are well known. If you believe your pulpits really deserve our attention, don’t hijack a thread, start one of your own.

Just throwing some points back atcha, don't want any trouble.

 

[Ictinike]

I’ve been around this forum long enough to notice that if somebody were to start a thread stating what a nice day it is today, one of the usual suspects would come along and look for a fight, even if it meant completely ignoring the original theme of the thread.

No, it's Monday..

 

[Bill S]

Well thank you for that unintentionally hilarious response to my post, a response which, by the way, TOTALLY sidesteps the point, which is that somebody’s tarantula is sick, and somebody came here seeking help, and this is NOT the appropriate time and place to argue about the tarantula’s name, demand sources, blame the OP for the unpardonable sin of referring to her Tarantula as something you don’t like, and to insult posters that you disagree with! (Meanwhile, as the nomenclature police expound, the tarantula dies).

Arakatac, I noticed you were fine with debating the nomenclature issue until it became apparent that your arguments were weak - then suddenly the rest of us get accused of drifting from the topic. Nevertheless, here's my continuation of the discussion.

I understand your point - but this is a conversation. And like most conversations, is not confined purely to the first question asked. The OP's tarantula died back on page one, and the discussion on proper nomenclature did not kill it. In truth, there doesn't appear to have been anything that people here could do to save it, but it does make sense to suggest that when someone asks for help for a sick tarantula that they be able to tell us what kind of tarantula it is. And to do that effectively, it makes sense to use standardized names rather than pet shop names. If someone chooses not to learn scientific names, they are at a handicap. If they refuse to use standardized common names, they are at a further handicap. They are certainly allowed to do this, but the kind of response they get from those who may be able to help could well be affected by their ability to clearly describe their situations. Literacy and knowledge of the terminology and names can be helpful.

 

[aquaArachnid]

Stormie, Sorry to hear the bad news.. It can be difficult when you lose your T's I might have a replacement if your interested.. i'm also in Phoenix..