little bit of help

[gareth yates]

hello ok my brothers red island bird eater (sorry not sure of the latin term) has been settled in for a month but in the last few days it appears to have a bauld patch on abdomen she is a hair flicker but he prety mutch leaves her to own devices so a little confused as to why she maybe doing this one exotic pet shop owner said it was normal as she was settling in but we do have a few exotic pet shops down here in southwales so all say different things any ideas and is there any books on the red island as hes not on the tinternet and would love to learn more thanks gareth xxx

[Phil Rea]

Some spiders are just like that. One of my B. emilia kicks hairs all the time, even at her food. Saying that, just make sure there is nothing in the enclosure that is bothering the spider, like an uneaten cricket or such like, just in case

[karen Hampton]

my b.albopilosum seems to be taking ages to settle in.....and has flicked hairs.....he just never seems happy....if you can say that about a t.

[Peter Lacey]

red island bird eater - Phormictopus atrichomatus. Schmidt, 1991.
Honduras, Dominica & Bolivia.

http://thebts.co.uk/forums/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/85

Cardiff reptile centre has some.

Here's some info I found

Generic diagnosis of the genus Phormictopus Pocock 1901 based on [Raven 1985], [Smith 1986], [Bertani et al. 1996] and [Pérez-Miles et al. 1996]:

• Female: spermathecae with two separated seminal receptacles with broad bases
• Male: presence of two unequal tibial apophysis on tibia I
• Male: palpal bulb with modified embolus distally stout, broad and keeled; PS, PI, A, SA keels present, SA can be serrated (terminology follows [Bertani 2000]) - see Note
• Urticating hair types: I, III [Cooke et al. 1973])
• Palps: presence of plumose bristles on retrolateral face of coxa and trochanter of palp

• Leg I: presence of plumose bristles on prolateral face of coxa I and trochanter I

• Leg IV: presence of pad of plumose hairs on retrolateral face of femur IV

Note: In Phormictopus auratus Ortiz &Bertani 2005 the SA keel is serrated. In Phormictopus cancerides (Latreille 1806) from Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana the keels are smooth (Pérez-Miles et al., 1996).

Phormictopus atrichomatus Schmidt 1991
Types: ♀ neotype deposited in ZMB, holotype probably lost, ♂ paratype deposited in ZMB (ZMB 32721, ZMB 32723).
Type locality: uknown.
Distribution: Hispaniola (Dominicana, northern foreland of island), Honduras.
Diagnosis: P. atrichomatus differs from P. cancerides by bronze pubescens on carapace (contra violet pubescens in P. cancerides). Metatarsi I is distinctly bent as in P. cancerides. In males an apical part of embolus is distinctly longer than in P. cancerides, keel arangement of male palpal bulb and prolateral tibial apophysis are also distinguishable from P. cancerides. The prolateral tibial apophysis in P. cancerides has incrassate base tapering to the apex and appears as rounded triangle. The prolateral tibial apophysis in P. atrichomatus has finger-like shape. Palpal tibia has subapical protuberance on retrolateral face, in P. cancerides is absent. Spermathecae has two seminal receptacles joined in base, each receptaculum has uniform triangular shape without rounded lobe at apex [Rudloff 2008].


More on this genus can be found here:

http://www.theraphosidae.cz/articles/artphospcuba.htm

[gareth yates]

wow thank you all great help xxx