Aphonopelma Chacoana

[J M Clegg]

I have question which I hoping some of the more experienced breeders may be able to help me with. I have an Aphonopelma Chacoana – A big hungry female. She moulted about 3 months ago and hasn’t ever seen a male – never mind mated. She has just laid an egg sac and is guarding it down her rather large burrow? Is this a common thing for the spider to do? Lay an egg sack that is clearly going to be infertile and therefore never hatch??

Also another question – Lee (Spidershop) is selling Acanthoscurria chacoana slings – is this yet another case of the different name – same spider, or is this a totally different species??

[Richard Gallon]

Also another question – Lee (Spidershop) is selling Acanthoscurria chacoana slings – is this yet another case of the different name – same spider, or is this a totally different species??[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately there are two different spider species being sold as Acanthoscurria chacoana (the Aphonopelma of your one will be a labelling mistake):

Originally there was a species from Bolivia sold incorrectly as Acanthoscurria chacoana (black spider, banded legs and red abdomen). This is now just an unidentified sp. (but some people still have them labelled up as chacoana).

Then a spider called Acanthoscurria altmanni was imported and this species was synonymised with A. chacoana (this is the real A. chacoana: uniformly fluffy orange spider).

Obviously you need to make sure you get the right male to go with your female.

Cheers,
Richard

[Richard Gallon]

Also another question – Lee (Spidershop) is selling Acanthoscurria chacoana slings – is this yet another case of the different name – same spider, or is this a totally different species??

Unfortunately there are two different spider species being sold as Acanthoscurria chacoana (the Aphonopelma of your one will be a labelling mistake):

Originally there was a species from Bolivia sold incorrectly as Acanthoscurria chacoana (black spider, banded legs and red abdomen). This is now just an unidentified sp. (but some people still have them labelled up as chacoana).

Then a spider called Acanthoscurria altmanni was imported and this species was synonymised with A. chacoana (this is the real A. chacoana: uniformly fluffy orange spider).

Obviously you need to make sure you get the right male to go with your female.

Cheers,
Richard

[Kain Prestwood]

This is my A chacoana..



Sold at the show as Acanthoscurria Chacoana.

Kain

[J M Clegg]

Ah now that's very interesting. My Chacoana is very much like yours only much orangey in general appearence. Her carapace is also a little lighter and much more orangey red in colour.

I wonder if in fact mine is the Acanthoscurria altmanni as mentioned by Richard??

[Richard Gallon]

This is my A chacoana..



Sold at the show as Acanthoscurria Chacoana.

Kain

Hi Kain,
That's not the real Acanthoscurria chacoana - your one is Acanthoscurria sp. Bolivia (i.e. the species collected by Verdez and originally distributed as chacoana - incorrectly).

The real chacoana has considerable more long fluffy orange/pink hairs on its legs.

Hope that helps,
Richard

[Robert Farmer]

In that case I don't have A Chacoana either, unless the colours come through later... (1.5cm sling atm!)

[Kain Prestwood]

Oh right Richard!!

Its only about 3 inch if thats makes a differance..

I know it's bloody fast and aggressive whatever it is!

Kain

[Robert Farmer]

Is that pic above only 3"???

Amazing what the camera can do, I bet Vanessa Feltz's like a size 8 or something in real life

[J M Clegg]

Well mine is a HUGE female about 8 inches across. She didn't get her adult colours until her last moult. I will post a photo at some point.

So any feedback on her phantom pregnancy type egg sac???

[J M Clegg]

This is a picture of the "phantom pregnancy" egg sac that we have just removed from a large and quite angry Chacona. Shame there wasn't a male around to fertilise them.....................

[mary walters]

I wouldn't worry about the phantom sac, I have a female Nhandu vulpinus that has had one now 3 years running.