Chicken Spider Pictures

[lee smith]

i will try to get some pics of my viv for you sometime this week. im having a few problems with my digicam. but i will stick my IR cam into one of my other tanks to show you a couple of pics using it.

[Craig Bellamy]

Other than the stickies am I right in saying this has become the most popular BTS forum thread ever? Over 1000 views in just a few days, amazing! I never believed so many would be interested in this spider.

[Craig Bellamy]

Dead Male Chicken Spider

Sadly one of my pretty Chicken spider mature males past away as they do, however he is in immaculate condition and has been dried. Anyone interested? I don't think anyone even knows what a male CS looks like, so heres your chance. Has lovely blue irridesent colouring on legs with jet black background.

If you're interested, let me know privately.

Cheers, Craig

[lee smith]

you could probly pass that male on to the apropriate person to get full conformation of its taxonomic class.

[Phil Rea]

If I were in your shoes Craig, I'd send it to Richard Gallon, Ray Gabriel, Andrew Smith, or Martin Nicholas.

[Craig Bellamy]

If Andrew smith can classify it after that, I'm sure I would. As far as I know he had a specimen already from Martin, but that was many years ago. How many does he need and what ingredients go into the mix to firmly classify a theraphosid.

Does anyone know the proceed from Start to End?

Regards
Craig

If I were in your shoes Craig, I'd send it to Richard Gallon, Ray Gabriel, Andrew Smith, or Martin Nicholas.

[Ray Gabriel]

If Andrew smith can classify it after that, I'm sure I would. As far as I know he had a specimen already from Martin, but that was many years ago. How many does he need and what ingredients go into the mix to firmly classify a theraphosid.

Does anyone know the proceed from Start to End?

Regards
Craig

I noticed earlier that you said that there was blue on the legs, this sounds like it could be the real P. antinous, which was identified by Pocock so the type should be in the BM. I am not saying you dont have the "chicken spider" P. antinous could be the "chicken spider".

The spider is dried so it will have to be relaxed / rehydrated and then put into alchohol. (they last longer preserved that way). In the Perfect world as amny specimens from the same breeding/collecting area as possible so a range of taxonomical features can be established.

The next step would be to compare it with all the avaliable type material and other museum specimens and then see if it matches any of them, this can take some time.

If it does match one of the types identically then you have your species, if not then it has to be worked out what it is, and where it lies this can take even longer, years in fact, as it would mean an entire revision of the genus.

I will be seeing Andy this weekend, so if you want to post it to me i can pass it onto him for you. P.M./email me for my address if you want to get it to Andy asap.

We (Andy, Richard and myself) hope to get to the BM hopefully within the next 6 weeks, so if we have time one of us might be able to compare it against the typw of P. antinous (as this sounds the most likeley so far based on the colour, but it might even turn out to be P. insignis or something different).

Ray

[Sam Heaton]

As to taking down a boa it would certainly have to be small and there would have to be quite a few tarantulas there to do it. That's not to say they wouldn't have a go they probably would, tarantulas usually go for prey smaller than them, a baby boa cetainly looks smaller than those. I would think though one vs one, boa wins hands down, 5 tarantulas vs boa tarantulas win.

[Craig Bellamy]

Hi Sam,

I was not necessarily talking about the one, but rather refering to this species of tarantula which are much larger than normal and hunt in packs. Imagine a 50 adult blondi's sized tarantulas with much greater agility, speed and power hunting together, a boa wouldn't stand a chance unless it was more than 3 foot. These are not normal spiders, I can assure you.

Regards
Craig

As to taking down a boa it would certainly have to be small and there would have to be quite a few tarantulas there to do it. That's not to say they wouldn't have a go they probably would, tarantulas usually go for prey smaller than them, a baby boa cetainly looks smaller than those. I would think though one vs one, boa wins hands down, 5 tarantulas vs boa tarantulas win.

[Craig Bellamy]

Hi Ray,

Captive bred. This is a real chicken spider male and not P.antinous or any other P you mentioned. I will take a picture later and post it on the forum. These are the real chicken spiders I can assure you. Have a look at all the pictures I have posted. I know most find this hard to believe as they don't have one . I have far more experience scientifically than the average Joe, I have even been there to check. So lets not waste time debating and just get on with classifiying it.

I will be in touch.

regards
Craig

I noticed earlier that you said that there was blue on the legs, this sounds like it could be the real P. antinous, which was identified by Pocock so the type should be in the BM. I am not saying you dont have the "chicken spider" P. antinous could be the "chicken spider".

The spider is dried so it will have to be relaxed / rehydrated and then put into alchohol. (they last longer preserved that way). In the Perfect world as amny specimens from the same breeding/collecting area as possible so a range of taxonomical features can be established.

The next step would be to compare it with all the avaliable type material and other museum specimens and then see if it matches any of them, this can take some time.

If it does match one of the types identically then you have your species, if not then it has to be worked out what it is, and where it lies this can take even longer, years in fact, as it would mean an entire revision of the genus.

I will be seeing Andy this weekend, so if you want to post it to me i can pass it onto him for you. P.M./email me for my address if you want to get it to Andy asap.

We (Andy, Richard and myself) hope to get to the BM hopefully within the next 6 weeks, so if we have time one of us might be able to compare it against the typw of P. antinous (as this sounds the most likeley so far based on the colour, but it might even turn out to be P. insignis or something different).

Ray

[Ray Gabriel]

Hi Ray,

Captive bred. This is a real chicken spider male and not P.antinous or any other P you mentioned. I will take a picture later and post it on the forum. These are the real chicken spiders I can assure you. Have a look at all the pictures I have posted. I know most find this hard to believe as they don't have one . I have far more experience scientifically than the average Joe, I have even been there to check. So lets not waste time debating and just get on with classifiying it.

I will be in touch.

regards
Craig

So what is the scientific name for the Chicken Spider???

How do you know it is not something which has already been desribed, but the link has not been made yet?

Yes they could well be the real "chicken spider" but they could also be something already described, i am not saying they are not, but just making you aware that once dead specimens have been worked on you might NOT end up with a new species but something which is already known.

Ray

[Mark Pennell]

Et Al

These seem to be collected from the same region as Martin has visited for many years and indeed over of the past years, Andrew Smith has looked at it and its not P.antinous this is already clear.

Rick West in a online chat questioned Martin about this being surely - just “ P.antinous.. “ its online the transcript just read for yourselves, its not.

It’s a cracking species with behavioral characteristic’s that have we never really seen before or even heard of until Martin documented it.

I don't now why we are questioning this when the images suggest the same species - when its been documented for years - (Mart's images on this very forum alone.... plus back issues of the BTS journal)

Craig has these spiders and what they are doing is not new to us!, what is new! Is he has them in culture.

WE all new this was just a matter of time, just make the point clear I am not questioning how they got here OK. It was just a matter of time well all new this…

It’s clearly an interesting species, it’s big with behavioral tendencies’ that dictate a restrictive area distribution not yet clearly seen or documented in South American species.

Who is to say P.antinous does not behave the same way let alone any
Pamphobeteus species for that matter.


Cheers

Mark

[Toran Tanner]

I have read this whole thread and these have to be the most amazing T I have ever laid eyes on. communal WOW big WOW just nice These need to be protected. Thanks to the OP for posting

[Craig Bellamy]

It could well have been described, but it is not one of the common Pamphobeus species or anything that I have bumped into before. It is clearly very different. As I said, I have been to the Tambopata region to discover this myself so I am very clear on my finding.

Anyway, I will help in whatever way to make sure we link or classify this species asap.

Regards
Craig

So what is the scientific name for the Chicken Spider???

How do you know it is not something which has already been desribed, but the link has not been made yet?

Yes they could well be the real "chicken spider" but they could also be something already described, i am not saying they are not, but just making you aware that once dead specimens have been worked on you might NOT end up with a new species but something which is already known.

Ray

[Craig Bellamy]

Thanks for your comments Mark, well put.

Craig

Et Al

These seem to be collected from the same region as Martin has visited for many years and indeed over of the past years, Andrew Smith has looked at it and its not P.antinous this is already clear.

Rick West in a online chat questioned Martin about this being surely - just “ P.antinous.. “ its online the transcript just read for yourselves, its not.

It’s a cracking species with behavioral characteristic’s that have we never really seen before or even heard of until Martin documented it.

I don't now why we are questioning this when the images suggest the same species - when its been documented for years - (Mart's images on this very forum alone.... plus back issues of the BTS journal)

Craig has these spiders and what they are doing is not new to us!, what is new! Is he has them in culture.

WE all new this was just a matter of time, just make the point clear I am not questioning how they got here OK. It was just a matter of time well all new this…

It’s clearly an interesting species, it’s big with behavioral tendencies’ that dictate a restrictive area distribution not yet clearly seen or documented in South American species.

Who is to say P.antinous does not behave the same way let alone any
Pamphobeteus species for that matter.


Cheers

Mark