Who molted today?

CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy

CrazyOrnithoctonineGuy

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My Heterometrus silenus scorpling molted a few days ago, the smaller of my GBB slings moved yesterday, and I had my other Cyriopagopus cf. hainanus juvenile molt today and finally start to get its adult coloration.
 
M

Matt W

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Over the past month, I--ahem--caught the bug and managed to acquire 11 tarantulas ranging from 0.5" sling (A. juruensis) to 4.5" sub-adult (P. cambridgei). I've watched them hunt, pounce, self-groom, happy dance, web, etc. To date, none have molted, but this evening, as I was watching, my little 3/4" A. geniculata sling flipped itself over on its back. So cool! I'll post again with after photos.

1701751414352.png
 
NMTs

NMTs

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Earlier today...

0.0.1 Euathlus sp. Bronze, 0.5" DLS:
1000014252.jpg
1000014264.jpg

0.0.1 Poecilotheria striata, 2.25" DLS (suspect male):
1000014243.jpg
 
M

Matt W

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Matt W said:
I'll post again with after photos.
Click to expand...
The spider was still upside down and twitching every few minutes when I went to bed. This morning, a freshly molted A. gen with 8 legs and 2 palps standing on her exuvia. First molt for me :)

1701780808463.png
 
M

Matt W

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Smotzer said:
Congrats!! The first molt is always so exciting! Welcome to the hobby!
Click to expand...
Thank you! So, I'm an engineer and have access to a binocular microscope we use for inspecting circuit boards and welds and whatnot. I decided to take a look at the exuvia under the scope. I'm sure this kind of thing has been posted before and I apologize for the quality of some of the images--in order to take these I had to hold my phone at the focal length of the objective lens and keep it very steady, which was hard particularly since moving the phone moved the focal point in the opposite direction. It was fascinating to examine the molt under the scope. The images below don't do it justice; it looked amazing.

For reference, here's the molt compared to my thumb. Imagine the images I can get when one of my bigger spiders molts.
1701786210039.png

I took a few photos trying to get detail of the "teeth" along the edge of the chelicerae and the fine filter bristles there:
1701786426655.png

Eye windows on the edge of the carapace:
1701786377431.png

Does anyone know what these dots are outside the spider's mouth at the base of the palps?
1701786522588.png

Or these spike-like hairs at the base of the tibia? (This is the pedipalp, but all of the limbs had these at the tibia base--2nd joint on the legs.)
1701786625383.png

Closeup of the claws on the spider's leg 1.
1701786720916.png
 
NMTs

NMTs

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These don't have cool names, but they molted today, too...

0.0.1 Psalmopoeus emeraldus, 0.875" DLS (Unus):
1000014282.jpg

0.0.1 Avicularia rufa, 0.75" DLS (Kazuya - OK, that's a cool name. If you know, you know):
1000014279.jpg

1.0 Avicularia avicularia, MM, about 4" DLS (Avi):
1000014288.jpg
1000014289.jpg

Edit: 0.0.1 Citharognathus tongmianensis molted just after I posted this... Who knows what sex or size it is? I never get a molt from this one, so if I ever determine the sex it will be a process of elimination rather than confirmation, lol.
1000014297.jpg
 
Last edited:
gabrieldezzi

gabrieldezzi

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Sep 21, 2023
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My OBT just molted last night!! Took him long enough lol 3EB94C6E-59E9-43E7-ADB7-86974E8F34A6.jpeg
DAF571B3-FCD8-4635-BCC0-759D1C081D62.jpeg
tried sexing, but my camera sucks and wayyy too small to see with my magnifying glass to know for certain, but I think he’s male.
 
IntermittentSygnal

IntermittentSygnal

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Matt W said:
Thank you! So, I'm an engineer and have access to a binocular microscope we use for inspecting circuit boards and welds and whatnot. I decided to take a look at the exuvia under the scope. I'm sure this kind of thing has been posted before and I apologize for the quality of some of the images--in order to take these I had to hold my phone at the focal length of the objective lens and keep it very steady, which was hard particularly since moving the phone moved the focal point in the opposite direction. It was fascinating to examine the molt under the scope. The images below don't do it justice; it looked amazing.

For reference, here's the molt compared to my thumb. Imagine the images I can get when one of my bigger spiders molts.
View attachment 462261

I took a few photos trying to get detail of the "teeth" along the edge of the chelicerae and the fine filter bristles there:
View attachment 462264

Eye windows on the edge of the carapace:
View attachment 462263

Does anyone know what these dots are outside the spider's mouth at the base of the palps?
View attachment 462265

Or these spike-like hairs at the base of the tibia? (This is the pedipalp, but all of the limbs had these at the tibia base--2nd joint on the legs.)
View attachment 462267

Closeup of the claws on the spider's leg 1.
View attachment 462269
Click to expand...
Surprised you didn’t try to sex it? Did she shred the abdomen?
 
l4nsky

l4nsky

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So far this week:
  • 0.0.1 Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum
  • 0.0.1 Phormingochilus sp Sabah Blue
  • 1.0 Phormingochilus sp Akcaya (FINALLY mature with two recently molted ladies in waiting)

In other news, I've had to start a second molt jar......
20231206_211503.jpg
 
NMTs

NMTs

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l4nsky said:
So far this week:
  • 0.0.1 Phormingochilus pennellhewlettorum
  • 0.0.1 Phormingochilus sp Sabah Blue
  • 1.0 Phormingochilus sp Akcaya (FINALLY mature with two recently molted ladies in waiting)

In other news, I've had to start a second molt jar......
View attachment 462385
Click to expand...
How do you know which spider each molt in there belongs to? :troll:🤣
 
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