Widow Breeding ??

[Nikye]

Does anybody know anything bout breeding widows specifically Reds( L.Bishopi )

 

[The Snark]

@darkness975

 

[darkness975]

What inquiries do you have pertaining to the topic?

 

[Nikye]

@darkness975 hey ! Do you have any experience breeding?

 

[darkness975]

@darkness975 hey ! Do you have any experience breeding?

Yes

 

[The Snark]

I'm holding back a solid dozen flippant comments and any mention of @darkness975 having an extra pair of vestigial arms and legs and a suspicious red blotch on the tummy.

 

[Nikye]

Yes

Can you please help me

I have a pair of L . Bishopi . Half of the people I show a pic of says he’s mature the other half says he has another molt to go . He has palps so I sided with the mature . I introduced him to the female enclosure just a few mins ago , there was brief period of no movement from either spider , then the female began slowly bobbing up and down in the web , the male then proceeded to go further in the web and as we speak is in the corner of the wen , the female still in the same spot . I gave her an adult banded cricket that she seems to still be occupied with. What should I do next im afraid to leave the male in there as these are hard to acquire and I got this one by luck

@darkness975

 

[darkness975]

Observe their behavior. Typically a mature male in a mature female's web will display signs of taking up residence.

The pictures are not the best but it's more likely he is mature than not.

 

[Nikye]

@darkness975 i ended up removing him as he was pacing around as if he was trying to avoid her , the female would move over to him as if he was prey

 

[darkness975]

@darkness975 i ended up removing him as he was pacing around as if he was trying to avoid her , the female would move over to him as if he was prey

Better safe than sorry then.

 

[programmatic]

This is an immature male. Around 4th instar, you can see the bulbs forming under 10x loupe magnification. At 5th instar bulbs become more apparent to the naked eye...with downward-facing pointy tips at the end like as seen in your photo. Once mature, the palp bulbs become much darker. That's the tell-tale sign.

They will also stop eating once mature. However, in moments of desperation they will eat dead prey if they stumble across it. And once they mate, they will become more aggressive toward prey and eat as if a switch has been flipped- likely to replenish itself to ensure it can mate successfully again.

Also, next time don't feed and try to pair simultaneously. Instead, feed 1 day before planned pairing.

 

[Nikye]

@programmatic thank you so much ! That was very detailed . Do you own any widows yourself ?

 

[The Snark]

Commentary: The intricate complexities of the mating of such seemingly simple animals. Somebody cue Maratus volans for a dance number interlude.

 

[darkness975]

This is an immature male. Around 4th instar, you can see the bulbs forming under 10x loupe magnification. At 5th instar bulbs become more apparent to the naked eye...with downward-facing pointy tips at the end like as seen in your photo. Once mature, the palp bulbs become much darker. That's the tell-tale sign.

They will also stop eating once mature. However, in moments of desperation they will eat dead prey if they stumble across it. And once they mate, they will become more aggressive toward prey and eat as if a switch has been flipped- likely to replenish itself to ensure it can mate successfully again.

Also, next time don't feed and try to pair simultaneously. Instead, feed 1 day before planned pairing.

Glad your phone displays better than mine. Hard to see the finer details of images on mine. Time for an upgrade methinks.

 

[Nikye]

Sucessful molt !!!

Big shoutout to @programmatic for helping me confirm my male Latrodectus Bishopi ( Red Widow) is mature , highly suggest reaching out to them if y’all any questions regarding your Latrodectus spp

 

[The Snark]

Something to keep in mind that especially applies to all Latrodectus which was quickly mentioned ... https://arachnoboards.com/threads/anyone-breeding-white-widows.109658/post-1047643
First thing he mentioned was weather and NOAA information. My friend in New Zealand doing observation of the Katipo for me. Natural adaptation to certain environments, and each, an extensive evolution written into their genes. Inherent adaptability from the genetic code, in order of magnitude: Geometricus -> Mactans -> Hesperus -> Variolus - Bishopi. Compare Bishopi to Katipo. Niche to micro environment.
And weather, subtle environmental factors, temperature and humidity, as well documented with Pallidus; requiring a significant seasonal shift for reliable successful breeding.

 

[darkness975]

Sucessful molt !!!

Big shoutout to @programmatic for helping me confirm my male Latrodectus Bishopi ( Red Widow) is mature , highly suggest reaching out to them if y’all any questions regarding your Latrodectus spp

There are several knowledgeable members that have been keeping and breeding Lateodectus spp. For a long time.

 

[The Snark]

There are several knowledgeable members that have been keeping and breeding Lateodectus spp. For a long time.

Shades of the ongoing discussion - argument between me and my brother right now. What makes that media video go viral? Get's shoved into the spotlight? Academic accuracy? All the white papers on the planet get less reading / viewing than a popular video game presented in a competitive comfort zone format.
Want major AB attention? Add a flash and crash popular well presented Youtube link. Joe Exotic and similar garnered major viral status. How?
What made Steve Irwin so popular? PRESENTATION!

(Heading back under the rug. My brother and I going at it this AM. Two expert academics, one conceptual ethereal, the other nuts and bolts practical. The immovable object vs the irresistible force. Day long migraine dead ahead.)