Exotic Invertebrates, True Spiders, and Tarantulas

[jynxxxedangel]

very concerning week.

2 false widows in my armoury and i flattened one in the house also (sorry, but i have an 18 month old nephew running about). their not supposed to have spread this far yet.

other oddity of late, I've not identified this booger yet. He's been re homed in the new shed i built.

The crawly in the pic looks to be a mature male of the genus 'Larinioides (possibly L. sclopetarius http://bugguide.net/node/view/76537/bgimage) to me, dear. Note the large "boxing gloves" at the ends of the palps, signifying a mature male (those feelers are how they transfer the spermataphores to the females' epigyna), and the tell-tale ocular pattern (the way the eyes are laid out on the spider's head). That spider is not harmful. See my gallery, and the picture of Charlotte's suitor. I think your spidey is of the same genus, but a different species. He looks as if he's ready for the knacker's, too. I hope he finds a lady spider to pawn his rocks off on.

[TheGimp]

Here is a photo of my new Platycryptus undatus, sitting on my finger! I just love her to bits! Her face is so cute, with the white eye crest and black shoe-button eyes-- I wish I could get a decent shot of her features.

It was hard to get a clear photo of her-- she's a fast little girlie!

I need to think of a name for her, now..

awwww isnt he cute

[jynxxxedangel]

Avicularia versicolor (Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula).WANT!!!!!

[Head Wreck]

The crawly in the pic looks to be a mature male of the genus 'Larinioides (possibly L. sclopetarius http://bugguide.net/node/view/76537/bgimage) to me, dear. Note the large "boxing gloves" at the ends of the palps, signifying a mature male (those feelers are how they transfer the spermataphores to the females' epigyna), and the tell-tale ocular pattern (the way the eyes are laid out on the spider's head). That spider is not harmful. See my gallery, and the picture of Charlotte's suitor. I think your spidey is of the same genus, but a different species. He looks as if he's ready for the knacker's, too. I hope he finds a lady spider to pawn his rocks off on.

yeah. harmless. just suprised how big this male was, bad comparison, but a £2 coin :D

[jynxxxedangel]

Wow!! I've never seen a male Larinioides that large, before!! I sure would like to see how large the females are around there!!! Females are usually thrice as big.

[Head Wreck]

cute fluffy tarantula

[jynxxxedangel]

Here is my young debutante, Azhriaz, fresh from her 9th moult. She's about 2 cm long, now, from chelicerae to spinnerets.

She's growing up to be a big girl, just as I'd hoped! She still isn't anywhere near the size of Arwen, her mother! Arwen is at least 3 cm, easily.

[Azeuron]

[Head Wreck]

likes

[jynxxxedangel]

If there were such thing as a chiptarantula, I would SO have one!!!!!!

[jynxxxedangel]

Here's an interesting piece of news:

Spider Missing Aboard International Space Station

[TheGimp]

Avicularia versicolor (Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula).WANT!!!!!

the blue one looooooooks sooooooo pretty i think i could acually get over my fear of spidersif i could hold that lil guy......

and jynxxx my lil cousin has that pink one actually her uncle travles all over the states and she asked him for a spider for her birthday and that what he came back with of course shes depressed cuz he family makes her keep it in the aquaruim unless shes feeding him or cleaning it out

[jynxxxedangel]

An interesting fact:

Spiders' blood is blue!! Blood called hemolymphe transports nutrients, hormones, oxygen and cells. The blood also serves another purpose. It is used locally to raise the blood pressure during moulting (shedding of old skin) and stretching the legs.

In mammals, haemoglobin molecules (present in the red blood cells) transport oxygen. The spider uses a more complicated protein called hemocyanin. Unlike hemoglobin, hemocyanin is not stored in a cell, but flows freely in the blood of a spider. Hemocyanin is a protein that is made up of 24 sub-units, with a molecular mass of 1.704.000-- compared to the molecular mass of oxygen, which is only 32. Human haemoglobin is made up of 4 sub-units, with a molecular mass of 64.500.

Haemoglobin is a molecular disc, made of nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and an iron atom at the centre. The oxidized iron gives the molecule its characteristic red colour. Hemocyanin also contains nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen-- but has a copper atom at the centre instead of an iron atom. The oxidized copper gives the molecule a blue colour. Hemocyanin binds oxygen, but only releases it after it receives the right chemical signal. For every one of the 24 sub-units, there is special chemical signal. Depending on the need for oxygen, a cell can give many or less signals. Beside these signals, the release of oxygen is also controlled by temperature. Every sub-unit has a specific temperature optimum. Spiders have an open blood circulation system. Blood vessels do transport the blood to a specific place, but thereafter, the blood flows freely in the open spaces between the organs.

--Ed Nieuwenhuys, March 1999

Edited December 16, 2008 by jynxxxedangel

[Head Wreck]

coolness.

i knew spiders used blood presure for limb controll but not the blood structure itself other than its blue

[jynxxxedangel]

My beautiful babygirl, Arwen. She decided to grace me with her presence, today. She had been dormant in her hide, for almost two weeks! It was good to see her again.

[jynxxxedangel]

Check out sigma1920's YouTube channel, if you're as fond of little crawly things as I am. This is my most favourite subscription, I think.

[Head Wreck]

HW's random spiders

[Vampyrerin]

I fear I am going dream of spiders tonight. I find this thread horribly fascinating.

Personally I like the Whip Spider (which I believe is technically not a spider....)

They are awesome.

Edited April 30, 2009 by Vampyrerin

[anametamystik]

Sweet.

I have one G. Rosea, which seems to be either fasting or preparing for a molt. She last molted on December 19, 2008 at about 4pm. I remember this because she was to star in a show at the Works in a variation of Spidora the Spider Girl (see http://www.sideshowworld.com/tgodspidora.html for more info and a photo of what the act tends to look like normally and how one carny overcame some punks breaking his setup) and molted the day before the show).

[jynxxxedangel]

Here they are..the mystery spiderlings. These really resemble Herpyllus ecclesiasticus (parson spiders), to me..

Here is a parson spider, for comparison:

[jynxxxedangel]

Harpactea sadistica spider sex is violent, but effective.

Fascinating.

[jynxxxedangel]

Some new pics of Lady Arwen:

She's my eldest female Phidippus audax. As you can see, from palps to spinnerets, she's about the breadth of my middle finger. With her forelegs outstretched, she appears much larger.

Also, the baby parson spiders moulted today. They are nearly twice as big as they were upon hatching, now. They're very difficult to photograph, as they are dinky.

[anametamystik]

I just got word that my g. rosea successfully molted. My roommate thought she was dead until I cordially I informed her of the molting process. I know this because she understands that she better leave than have me come home to a dead spider.

[jynxxxedangel]

Female Xysticus ferox, with male (if this isn't a male of the same species, they sure fooled me with their behaviour):

For comparison:

It's spidey time again! Lots of cool little beasties crawling about my yard, today-- the only redeeming quality, for my time spent out in the yard, pulling weeds.

[n0Mad]

This gorgeous lady was hanging underneath the lip on Calix's and my fire pit at our campsite in North Carolina:

Yep, that's a Black Widow. Unfortunately she was being a bitch and I couldn't get a clear shot of her hourglass. You can kinda see it in the first and second pics though. Too bad it's out of focus.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Spook