maturity question

[Rebecca Burrett]

is there anybody that i can send the moults to, to have sexed ?

[Ray Gabriel]

Hi,

For me the rule of thumb for mating is that the males carapace must be the same size or slightly smaller than the females as the minimum size.

Younger females are better for mating older females tend to be male munchers (spiders only) lol

Ray

[Mikhail F. Bagaturov]

Don't You look the shape and form of spermathecae at all, Ray? Only the carapace?

[Neil Richardson]

Hi,

For me the rule of thumb for mating is that the males carapace must be the same size or slightly smaller than the females as the minimum size.

Younger females are better for mating older females tend to be male munchers (spiders only) lol

Ray

Same rule i work to. Ignore legspan for the most part. If they have roughly the same size carapace then i put them together.

Though for some species there is a marked difference in size.



Pair of E.campestratus. Female is the one on the left, mature male on the right.

[Ray Gabriel]

Don't You look the shape and form of spermathecae at all, Ray? Only the carapace?

Nope just the carapace size, might explain why i have had some unsuccsessfull matings, but that could just be bad husbandry (incorrect climatic triggers etc),

Neil, i can only think of one or two species which i have had where the males are sexually dimorphic in size prior to the females maturity, i heard somewhere that technically when the female starts to develope a spermatheca and ovaries she can produce an eggsac.

What triggers are you going to use for the Eupalaestrus?

Ray

[Neil Richardson]

None yet, got to wait for her to hurry up and moult. They were in the tank purely for the photoshoot.

She's been 18months since her last moult.. i think she's getting a bit old now

[Ray Gabriel]

None yet, got to wait for her to hurry up and moult. They were in the tank purely for the photoshoot.

She's been 18months since her last moult.. i think she's getting a bit old now

Good move putting the male in the females tank that might induce a moult, if you still have the males old skin if you dampen it in warm water and leave that in the tank it might give the female the idea there is amale around.

You could be right about the female being to old, carapace wise she looks quite a big girl.

She might need a cold spell to induce the moult, check out climatic data for the Parguayan Chaco, that is the regon they come from, all you have to do is get the eggsac. When we first say these a few years ago they came into the UK with some Acanthoscurria species, the Acanthoscurria species dropped eggsacs, unfortunately none of the other stuff did, including the Eupalaestrus.

Wish you all the best with this afik it will be a UK first if you pull them of as captive bred.

Ray

[Neil Richardson]

Thanks for the pointers. I was hoping that she's think "there's a male around, i'd better moult", but so far nothing. Male is quite elderly now, mature for a good 3-4months


I'll move her to a cooler part of the room to see if that can spur her to moult. She's not fed for 6months, so she knows that she is due.


She's a good 6" legspan, weighs a ton. Soppy as anything though.


Didn't realise they'd never been bred in the UK though.

[Mikhail F. Bagaturov]

Wow, Neil!
She's really huge compairing to this male indeed!
So, goodluck!

Thanks Ray!