Australian tarantulas - This years egg sacs

Of the four species I mated this year three of them so far have produced egg sacs, Phlogius sp. "Eunice", "Sarina" and "hirsutus". A lot of confusion applies to the generic name we use for Australian tarantulas. At the moment the correct genus is Selenocosmia however here in Australia most enthusiasts have pre-empted the generic revision being undertaken by Dr Raven which will reclassify most Selenocosmia to Phlogius which is at the moment, the junior synonym to Selenocosmia. Makes things difficult I know but Selenocosmia has many difficulties and in reality has just become a dumping ground for species that do not belong anywhere else. More on this at a later time.

My three big females with sacs all went underground and webbed over the top of their burrows in late August/early September. I carefully investigated the burrows a few days ago to confirm that all have large healthy looking sacs. It should not be much longer until I see spiderlings. All females were wild caught and identified by Steve Nunn who being our top amateur expert on tarantulas kindly supplied me with both males and females so I am certain of the species.

I am particlularly interested in the outcome of the Phlogius sp. "hirsutus" egg sac. This is a recently discovered species by Steve Nunn and the image below is of the first recorded mating in captivity. The species is particular interest to taxonomists due to the heavy scopulation and the fact that several specimens have been found in trees up to 7 feet above ground height. Exactly what this means requires more investigation but the thought that it might be a species either in the process of becoming arboreal or alternatively becoming terrestrial is intriguing.

Phlogius sp. "hirsutus" mating. I have an egg sac from this first confirmed captive breeding of this new species.

That's all for now and if the sacs are successful expect some pictures of spiderlings soon.

THULA - Journal of the AIF Vol 2 Issue 1 Oct 2009

We released the October 2009 issue of Thula today. Thula is the official Journal of the AIF (Australian Invertebrate Forum) and is available free to all our AIF members.




To register for the forum simply go to this link and complete the online registration process http://www.inverts.com.au/index.php

Once registered you can download your journal via the links available here: Download Thula

Don't hesitate to give me feedback on the journal as we are constatntly trying to improve it. If you would like to contribute articles or images for Thula please leave me a message or contact me (editor) on the AIF itself or on the contact email shown inside the front cover.

New Australian Invertberate Forum

Greg Bylund invited me to partner him in co-ownership of the Australian Invertebrate Forum which I gladly accepted. We wanted to make the forum more professional which of course meant more costs in software, IT fees and hosting. Jointly we invested in the new site and changed over 24 hours ago.

AIF screenshot - new forum

The new forum and our bi-annual journal, Thula, is located at:

http://www.inverts.com.au/index.php

All the old posts have been incorporated in the new forum of course thanks to a massive all night effort by Greg. The new forum offers better capabilities for social networking, albums and forums in general. We will continue to improve the installation to get the maximum benifit from it for our members. In addition we will be expanding our sales activities and sponserships to help bring in income to the forum so we can continue to offer these services. I sure hope all our members enjoy the new look!

Since joining the forum about a year ago as a new member I have seen it grow to become the most active forum on Australian invertebrates with a wealth of information available for all levels of enthusiasts thanks to our dedicated members. We foster an inclusive environment where ALL are welcome and respected. Information and new species finds are freely disseminated without the usual "secret squirell" baggage except where locations are involved for rare or new species in order to protect them from illegal collectors. We all look forward to seeing old and new faces on the forum.

Phlogius crassipes "Eunice"

A mature female Phlogius crassipes "Eunice"

Another of the outstanding Australian tarantulas I am breeding this season is Phlogius crassipes "Eunice". Eunice is possibly a form of Phlogius crassipes, the type species for the genus and I am treating it as such as this seems to be the preferred classification at the moment and is in accordance with the preferred treatment at this time (pers com Steve Nunn). You will sometimes see it referred to as a seperate species Phlogius sp. "Eunice". This muddle should be sorted out when Dr Raven revises the genus and we are all hoping that revision will be published soon. Note that officially all of these species are still Selenocosmia at the moment however Raven has reserved Phlogius for them in his upcoming revision.

A mature male Phlogius crassipes "Eunice" showing sexual dimorphism compared to the female

In any case, semantics aside and ignoring the debate as to whether Eunice is a variety of Phlogius crassipes or a seperate species altogether, we can be sure that Eunice is closely related to Phlogius crassipes and a little more distantly related to Phlogius sp. "Sarina". Eunice is a more colourful form of the former and on mature female specimens a dark "zorro mask" can be seen around the eyes. The females are a dark chocolate brown colour overall. The sexually dimorphic males are much brighter, with dark femora. Males can have a larger leg span than the females but females are heavier. Eunice is, like it's sisters and cousins, one of the giant forms from the Southern Phlogius group from the mid north coastal region of Queensland and inhabits coastal rainforests and vine thickets. Eunice is not as dark as Sarina but it is darker than Phlogius crassipes seeming to fall midway between the two. The average diagonal legspan for a mature female is between 16 - 18cm.

Eunice is an opportunistic burrower and will appreciate bark slabs or an upturned half of a flower pot to build it's web and hide under. Immature specimens will burrow quite aggressively and plenty of substrate should be provided for them. Mature specimens will tend to show their opportunistic habits in captivity and should be provided with a hide or other cover under which they will web into a chamber. Mature specimens may not do much burrowing and can be kept on 6 cm of substrate. The container height should not be more than 1.5 times their length as a fall can injure or even kill them. Be wary of placing hard objects in the container on which they might fall. I have my breeding female in a 20 litre Starmaid tub with good ventilation proveded by holes in the lid and side made with the hot tip of a soldering iron. I have also included a large Exoterra fake vine in her enclosure and she seems to appreciate the additional cover this provides although it is not necessary. I use coco peat substrate mixed with 20% clean white beach sand which has been washed to remove excess salt. The sand is the fine white variety found on Queensland beaches. I also include moistened sphagnum moss on approximately 20% of the surface of the enclsure and around the hide entrance to assist with humidity as well as a water dish. Humidity for this species should be around 60-80% RH and as the species is tropical I keep the minimum temperatures to 22C. In it's native habitat winter temperatures range from 19-30C. I keep ambient humidity at the higher end of the scale in the warmer months and let it drop a little (but no less than 60%) from May to June. By webbing its hide or retreating into its opportunistic burrow the tarantula can seek out higher humidity should it feel the need. Be careful not to keep the Australian species on dry substrate as they will have trouble moulting and will not thrive. In summer temperatures here in Brisbane will rise naturally to 30C plus so only minimal heating is required in my spider room from May to July. After that I disconnect heating and let nature do the rest. My spiderlings and immatures are raised in the standard way in vials or large round deli containers with stable high humidity of 70%plus RH. I have managed to source a crystal clear variety of the later which are tall thus enabling plenty of substrate for the spiderling to burrow into. As they reach semi maturity they are potted up into successively larger containers until they are adults when they are rehoused into 20 litre or larger plastic tubs or even larger glass enclosures. For non-display purposes I prefer the plastic tubs which are light and easy to store in my spider room on the shelving I have arranged. Nothing however beats glass for a display tank for a large tarantula except perhaps clear perspex if you can get it! I find clear perspex very difficult to source here and so I do not use it a lot. That will change if I can find a relaible supplier.

Detail of enclosures used for mature specimens. Note the ventilation holes, velcro security fasteners, flower pot cut in half and partially buried for hide, Exoterra vine for additional cover, sphagnum moss on some of the substrate, water dish and leaves and bark strips.

Males will be ready for breeding from late March through to as late as November in the southern hemisphere and will be seen wandering in the wild in late May to early June. I assume in the USA and Europe the breeding period is reversed. This is a species, along with its sister species listed above that is available overseas so should be available for the dedicated enthusiast willing to track them down and research their requirements. In my matings some mild aggression has been displayed but the mating overall is a fairly calm process and you should have no trouble achieving it. Make sure the female is well fed before the breeding season and fatten the mature male up as well while he will eat to ensure he can produce sperm webs and to sustain him through the rigors of mating. After mating keep the female well fed without being silly about it to assist with formation of her eggs. These are big tarantuals and will eat a lot and I give them a variety of foods including crickets, roaches, locusts and also meal worms or superworms which I have found useful in putting condition on them. I also give them a defrosted pinkie mouse every 2 or 3 months. Feeding will slow as temperatures drop and may stop altogether in winter but by keeping minimum temperatures to around 22C adults will continue to feed. Slings and juvies will tend to feed longer at cooler temperatures but again I much prefer to keep their temperatures up a little to keep them active and growing. Slings and juvies should be kept well fed in order to reach their maximum potential and they are greedy eaters. By withholding food they will mature at reduced sizes which is not ideal although they will still be healthy and capable of breeding. I have had a male mature less than half the size of a standard well fed male which appeared to be due to halt in the feeding schedule. The size of a a mature Eunice is quite spectacular and as Sarina has been recorded at 20cm and Phlogius crassipes (Kattabul variety) at 23cm I would not be suprised to see female Eunice maxing out around 20cm in captivity when well kept.

Mating clasp of Phlogius crassipes "Eunice". Note the unique clasp adopted due to lack of tibial mating spurs.

Phlogius sp. Sarina

Phlogius sp. "Sarina" during mating showing male engaging in palpal touching of female venter (Picture copyright 2009 C Senescall)

Phlogius sp. "Sarina" is closely related to P. crassipes and P. crassipes "Eunice" and is one of the giants of the Southern Phlogius group. A mature Sarina female has a dark colour with a beautiful sheen that I find very attractive. It is one of my favourite species and makes an impressive display in a properly set up enclosure. The Sarina inhabits coastal rainforest in the mid north coastal region of Queensland, Australia.

Australian tarantula invasion?

A big, healthy, well fed female Phlogius crassipes hanging from my friend Greg Bylund's hand saying cheese!

Thanks to Grant Miller (copyright 2008) for kind access to the above picture taken on a visit to Greg's house in August 2008.

You may have seen reports in the press about an Australian tarantula invasion eg. in this Times Online article.

Just to add a little sanity to the hysteria (party pooper I know) I will paste a response I made on another forum to questions about the truth of this article and similar articles popping up:

This story is a beat up and is the usual case of the press going for sensational rubbish to sell product. First Bowen is hardly an "outback" town. It is a small coastal town in the mid north coast region of Queensland. The article notes that but the headline does not. Quite a nice little place with friendly people and very sleepy.

Second - the spiders are indeed tarantulas - Selenocosmia (Phlogius) crassipes which are common in the region and have been found and known there for a very long time and in fact the original type specimen for what was then known as Phrictus crassipes comes from Bowen and was described by Koch in 1874. There would probably have been a lot more around back then but obviously our forefathers had a higher threshold for hysteria and did not in over a century complain of being invaded.

A pest exterminator in another article was quoted as saying 10 tarantulas had been found - hardly an invasion. Even in the article in question although the headline says INVASION and the article says the the exterminator had been "innundated with calls" when it quotes him he says, "There have been a number of reports. It's not plague proportions but a number have been spotted around the district.” Not an invasion by any stretch of the imagination. Apparantly they are wandering and in search of females later in the season than usual due to high humidity of recent rains. This is where they live; this is what they do. Of course normally being an opportunistic burrower they operate under the radar and usually go unnoticed.

In another article the exterminator said: "They (The Times) were obviously looking at the sensational side of it, but I basically set them straight that it wasn't thousands of the things crawling around attacking people or anything like that, there were just a few that had been sighted," Mr Geiszler said.

You should start with the premise anything you read in the press is wrong or at best highly misleading until proven otherwise.

I have even been contacted by the press in some European countries for a photograph of this species from my blog so it looks like there has been a lot of interest in this invasion - run for your lives, the world is coming to an end and we're all going to die. Spare us please. I am just waiting now for the press to somehow blame the whole thing on global warming and then the party can really start. "Scientists warn that global warming will lead to annihilation of the human species by giant tarantulas!" - remember - you saw that here first.

The bite of Phlogius crassipes can make you sick and it will kill a dog or cat if they are invenomated but not what I would think you would call highly toxic. Keepers here get bitten occassionally and usually don't even bother going to hospital to get checked (probably smart to do). For more information see Bites by spiders of the family Theraphosidae in humans and canines, Geoffrey K. Isbistera,*, Jamie E. Seymourb, Michael R. Grayc, Robert J. Ravend in Toxicon (Toxicon 41 (2003) 519–524). The study notes: "The nine spider-bites in humans caused only minor effects. Local pain and puncture marks were the commonest clinical effects" and concludes "The study suggests that bites by these spiders are unlikely to cause major problems in humans. The study also demonstrates that the venom appears to be far more toxic to canines than humans with a 100% case fatality rate in the study." Vomiting and discomfort for some hours is likely to be the strongest reaction you will get form the species in question.

Now that the area is drying out after the rains they will all soon die or retreat back to suitable burrows where they will get the humidity and warmth they need to survive.

Now that's cleared up can we please return to our regularly scheduled end of the world panic from, say, global warming, swine flu or suitcase nuclear bombs and such?

Kotzman's Birdspider and Phlogius sp. Sarina bred

It is interesting to compare the different mating behaviours displayed by different species of tarantula. The Kotzman's Birdspider has afast and furious mating style. The picture below of the mating is the first one ever taken of the first mating in captivity. The Phlogius sp. "Sarina", by comparison, has a more gentle approach to the nuptuals. There are several unique characters displayed by the Kotzman's Birdspider in its mating rituals when compared to the Phlogius genus but I will leave a thorough analysis of that to my articles I am preparing for Thula which is the AIF bi-annual journal.

Kotzman's Birdspider - first mating picture by Charles Senescall

The Australian species, Phlogius sp. Sarina mating. These very large tarantulas showed no agression during he mating process. Picture by Charles Senescall

Overseas visitors should note that Australian tarantulas do not have tibial mating spurs and therefore the male clasps the female in a different manner to the hold you may be more used to seeing. Typically the male holds the female by squeezing her chelicera together with Leg I and holding her secure down over the top of her carapace. He then generally places Leg II between the females Leg I and II (although sometimes over leg I, II or III). The female bends at the abdomen up to 90 degrees in this hold and exposes her genital area making access by the males pedipalps a little easier. This is well illustrated in the photographs I took above.

Australian Tarantula Mating Videos

The first video linked to below is of a mating pair of Phlogius sp. "Goliath" tarantulas shot by Grant Miller one of the experienced breeders from the AIF forum. The Goliath is a member of the Northern Phlogius group of tarantulas found in far north Queensland. The female in this video is large and has a leg span of 21.5cm. This is an excellent video showing the last stage of the mating process and clearly shows the form of clasp used by the male of this species as well as the palpal drumming. I hope you enjoy studying this video as much as I have!

YouTube video of the Australian Goliath Tarantula mating filmed by Grant Miller

The second link provided is to another awesome video by Grant Miller but this time it features the breeding of Phlogius sp. "Sarina" one of the giant Southern Phlogius group found in the central Queensland coastal region.

YouTube video of Phlogius sp. "Sarina" mating filmed by Grant Miller

A New and Rare Australian Tarantula - Kotzman's Birdspider

I was very fortunate to obtain a tarantula from Greg Bylund late last year which was then identified as an almost mature female Selenocosmia stirlingi. As luck would have it "she" moulted out to "he" - so much for visually sexing Australian tarantulas! Australian tarantulas are not so easy to sex visually using the standard techniques (following M.R. Hart) and I have seen mistakes made not infrequently by the very best keepers and collectors. In any case I was happy to have a male and started to look around for a female.

In January 2009 Paul Berg collected what he thought was Selenocosmia stirlingi in far western New South Wales, Australia and sold a few wild caught specimens into the hobby. Steve Nunn identified these as a new species that showed differences to S. stirlingi. Steve later identified my male, that was collected close to Paul's collection site, as a member of the same species. The newly recognised species was named by Steve as Selenotholus sp. "Kotzman's birdspider" after Mandy Kotzman who carried out some valuable research in the 1980's on what turns out is this species of tarantula. True Selenocosmia stirlingi come from the South Australia/Northern Territory border region which is very distant from the collection sites for the Kotzman's birdspider. Paul's collection site is in fact very close to where Mandy Kotzman conducted her research on this species which she had identified at the time, incorrectly, as Selenocosmia stirlingi. Mind you that was 20 years ago and a lot has changed with respect to what we know about Australian tarantula's since that time. Enthusiasts will know that the whole Australian taxonomic regime for tarantulas is one huge mess and we are all eagerly waiting for Dr Rob Raven to finish his current review and publish! We have been waiting a long time but no doubt when it is finished it will have been worth the wait.

The Kotzman's birdspider is a true N.S.W. Selenotholus grassland species with distinct differences to the Queensland Selenotypus grassland species showing a more rounded, less elongated abdomen and the front legs are thicker than the rear legs just like you see in the yet to be described Australian Phlogius species.

As luck would have it Heinrich Buys sold me his mature female Kotzman's birdspider recently which was originally collected by Paul Berg so I now have a breeding pair. I am expecting the female to arrive by express post in a few days. The female moulted in February so she is ready for breeding now. A while ago in my blog I listed the species I was breeding this year so this is a very welcome addition to the list. She is about 12 cm in leg span which is probably close to the maximum size of this species.

Selenotholus sp. "Kotzman's birdspider" - my breeding pair. Photo of female by H. Buys. Photo of male by me

I am very excited to have this pair. The male has already built a sperm web and once the female has settled in her new enclosure I will attempt the first Australian mating of this species in captivity. After the male has done his duty with my female I will be forwarding him to Greg Bylund to breed with his females. Greg has 8 mature females ready to go - happy days! With a little luck one of us should be able to have the first captive bred Kotzman's birdspider slings bred and reared in captivity. I'll be putting up some more information about this species after the mating so check back for periodic updates.

Further reading: See Kotzman, M. 1990. Annual activity patterns of the Australian tarantula Selenocosmia stirlingi (Araneae, Theraphosidae) in an arid area. J. Arachnol., 18 :123-130.

Information for Tarantula Keepers and Breeders

After some time as a member of the forums of the British Tarantula Society I recently took the plunge and became a fully paid up international member. It is worth every penny to get their Journal. Membership enables you to download about 20 prior issues as PDF files and I have had a very enjoyable Easter reading them all! I thoroughly recommend joining for the keen enthusiast - don't delay. For more information see the BTS website: http://www.thebts.co.uk/

A fellow blogger has a list of scientific papers relating mainly to tarantula taxonomy available on his blog at: http://fugleedderkopper.blogspot.com/

Although the blog has not been updated in a while and is not in English it is written by very experienced keepers and is well worth a look especially if you are after any original taxonomic papers.

Tarantulas - Conditioning breeders

I have found that to put weight on quickly, especially for tarantulas you are conditioning up for breeding, that meal worms or super worms are an excellent choice. They are a convenient food source to put weght on your tarantulas quickly and I use them to suppliment my usual feeder insects - crickets and roaches.

The best thing about meal worms or super worms is that they are so easy to keep as you can chill them in the refridgerator for weeks and thus always ensure you have a back up food supply handy. They can be used for juveniles or mature tarantulas whole or cut into segments for spiderlings. Your spiderlings will not be frightened by the meal worm portions as they sometimes are by live pinhead crickets and they are much easier to have readily in hand than pinhead crickets which are a high maintenance feeder by comparison.

You can also use raw chicken or beef heart cut into suitable sized portions as a food supply, however as with any dead food make sure you remove any leftovers within 34 hours to avoid it going bad in the enclosure. For very large tarantulas the occassional pinkie mouse (dead of course) is also great for putting condition on your tarantula.

With a varied food supply my females are in great condition for the upcoming breeding season. Make sure to put the condition on now (in the southern hemisphere) before the tarantulas start to slow down their feeding rate with winter coming. Just remember not to overfeed to the point of obesity as a tarantula should not be dragging an oversized abdomen along the ground!

This years breeders

This is an exciting time of year for me when the planning begins for the seasons breeding efforts. I am hoping to get some young this year from some pairings. Planned pairings are:

Phlogius crassipes "Kuttabul" form
Phlogius sp. "Sarina"
Phlogius crassipes "Eunice"
Phlogius sp. "hirsutus"

The last species is of particular interest to me as it was only discovered by noted amateur arachnologist, Steve Nunn recently (December 2008). Below is a shot of one of these beauties taken by Steve.

Phlogius sp. "hirsutus" - mature female

THULA - Journal of the AIF Vol 1 Issue 2

I edit the Journal of the Australian Invertebrate Forum (AIF), THULA, and am pleased to announce the release of our second issue (Vol 1 Issue 2 December 2008). The journal is free to members of the AIF.



To register for the forum simply go to this link and complete the online registration process http://www.thegreenscorpion.com.au/forum/

The journal is bi-annual and this issue includes:

- Australian Centipedes by Heinrich J Buys
- A Day in the life of Ivy - sp. 2 by Grant Miller
- The adaptive morphology of Liocholes spp.: Liochelidae by leading Australian scorpion expert

Mark Newton
- Notes on a new Australian Desert Tarantula by Greg Bylund
- Scorpions - The First Instar by Justin Paterson
- Observations on the captive breeding of Phlogius sp. "Rubiseta" by Grant Miller
- Notes on the Giant Burrowing Cockroach in Captivity: Macropanesthia rhinoceros by yours

truly
- Notes on the 2008 Australian Goliath Breeding Program by Greg Bylund
- Plus a number of short articles including two by noted Australian tarantula expert Steve Nunn

concerning his exciting new species discovered and other matters of interest to invert fanatics.

Once you have registered on the forum simply navigate to the AIF Research Centre and you will find all AIF Journals available for download.