Can you help me identify this tarantula?

[philippe augrandjean]

Hi, is this picture clear enough for some ideas on the type of tarantula I have?
I was given this by someone who said it was a costa rican zebra! But it's far too agressive.
thanks.

[Rebecca Norris]

Looks like Thrixopelma pruriens to me?

[philippe augrandjean]

Looks like Thrixopelma pruriens to me?

Thank! Yes it really does look like it. I googled!

Is there a good way to tell whether tit is male or female and does that rule work with most types?

[James Box]

well spotted, Bex! i was trying to place it, but i think your guess is as close as we can get from a pic.
there are so many "striped knee" type tarantulas, and as i've been made aware recently, alot of what is sold as A seemanni is probably not A seemanni but possibly something undescribed! so always a good idea to check.
i have a few young individuals from this species (if we're right), and i find them really skittish, but not aggressive.
however, the same has been said about A seemanni! definitely not the calmest of spiders.

as for sexing, the only way to be 100% sure is to check the moult.

[Robert Martin]

I'm 99% sure Rebecca's right their mate. Look at the underside of the abdomen and spinnerettes. A seemani has a very nice beige colour under the abdomen which i think is present in all the different colour variations.

Has James said to be 100% sure on the sex you need to check the moult. If you have an old exuvium check for the presence or lack of a spermathecae. present-female lack of-male.

I would definately say it's a T pruriens....

Rob.

[philippe augrandjean]

Thanks a lot for all of that info.
I am 99% sure that it is a Thrixopelma pruriens. I can't get near it to check anything as it attacks anything moving near it! (renamed psycho )

[James Box]

yeah good to reserve some judgement as photo id's are hard to do!
sometimes it comes down to tricky things like measuring tiny bits of the spider and comparing to similar specimens, as colour is too variable a thing to go by.
probably good enough to go on for now, but i wouldn't breed her til you're 110% sure, just as a disclaimer
the thing is, if she's T pruriens, i *think* they're from Chile and Peru, so will probably require quite different conditions to the A seemani variants, i would think.
for one thing, i believe it's hot and humid where seemanni comes from, but i believe things are both cooler and drier in Chile. not sure about Peru, but worth looking.
if you keep a close eye on her behaviour and feeding while carefully experimenting, you should be able to work out her best conditions, as i find they will tell you in their own way when discontent.
someone please correct me if i'm talking balderdash and poppycock!