Blondi or Burgundy

[wayne balcombe]

Hi all.

just wondering whats genaral concensus regarding these two apparently different sub-species of Theraphosa?

I ask because the two juvenile "Blondi's" i have may be "Burgundy's".
Are these actually the same spiecies but from different localities as i've seen suggested elsewhere or are they completely different sub-species. will T.Blondi and T.spp.Burgundy interbreed or is this the reason for so many failed breeding attempts due to miss identification of these spiders.

i would be interested to hear your thoughts.

[matthew spooner]

hiya wayne, in my opinion i think these are just regional variants of the same species, i personally wouldnt interbreed them because you do face the possibility of hybridising.

[wayne balcombe]

hi Matt, thanks for the reply, thats more or less the same opinion i have, i'm glad someone shares it.

the pair i have are "burgundy's" i reach that conclusion by the pale setae on the tarsus and metatarsus of the front 2 pairs of legs the "white feet" i'm told is the idetifying marker.

[Ray Hale]

Platnick in the World Spider Catalogue lists only one species of blondi. I am not sure if anyone is currently working on the genus. Regional colour variations of the same species exist in most spiders but until definitive data is produced it is probaly unwise to attempt a mating.

ray

[Eleanor]

This also worries me. I've seen quite a few WC Burgundy goliaths for sale, and occasionally recently also a 'blondi' or two. I'm generally on the look out for blondis at the moment for breeding purposes, so of course identification is important and I've avoided the latest in case they're the wrong locality. Anyone know how to tell the difference reliably?

I understand slings are coloured a bit like apophysis, but what about adults?

[wayne balcombe]

the pair i have are from the same sack so if and when i come to mate them i'm happy there will be no hybredising. a also have a sub adult male Blondi but have been unable to find a mature female who's origins i can confirm so it looks like i'll have to give him away to someone who does.

i've noticed that most of the Blondi's available are wild caught and seem to be in truth the Burgandy variant i assume this to be due to them bieng sourced from the same small area.

[Eleanor]

I know my female is the 'original' blondi, so I'll be careful about sourcing males for her! My last attempt at mating her she produced an eggsack which she incubated for the full term, but the male was infertile. He was, in fact, ancient by male blondi terms when they mated so I was surprised when she produced a sack at all. So I have high hopes of a fertile sack in the future if I can find a male. I'm happy to make a future 50:50 loan arrangement with you!

[wayne balcombe]

hi eleanor, my S/A male Blondi is deffinately a "propper" Blondi and judging by his size he should mature on his next molt which i forsee being sometime over the next couple of months, the bald patch on his abdomen is getting darker by the day but he's still feeding well. i'd be happy to sort out a breeding loan with you when he's ready.