Question about a tarantula in a book from 1996

[John Hunter]

Hello all, i've been meaning to ask about this for a while but have never gotten round to it.

I have a book from 1996 titled "Taranulas and other Arachnids" by Samuel D. Marshall ph.D. Published by "Barron's". Its just a small paperback.

Inside they talk about the Colombian lesserblack that is Xenesthis immanis and under the same heading they also mention the Colombian giantblack tarantula but give no scientific name. Just to quote what is written:-

"Colombian giantblack tarantulas are larger but more somberly colored (than the lesserblack). They are the focus of one interesting study done in Peru. As they share their burrows with toads, the researchers proposed that the toad is protected from predation by the tarantula by toxins in their skin and may benefit the spider by eating small pestiferous insects too small for the tarantula to catch. They also saw that adult female Colombian lesserblack share their burrows wither older offspring."

Its all on page 49 if anyone happens to have th same book.

What spider are they talking about when they say "Colombian giantblack tarantula"

I also never knew Xenesthis immanis adults were communal with their offspring.

Sorry everyone! Just by fluke i found a picture on the net of a Colombian giantblack. Its a Xenesthis monstrosa. Never heard of that one before. Might try to find some for sale.

Cheers all.

[stuart longhorn]

Hi.

Sorry, i dont have the book so cant look at the page.

Yes, its plausible he was referring to X.monstrosa, and yes occasionally some are sold in the hobby under this name, but none recently that i know of. There are several types of Xenesthis in the hobby, whether any of them are actually X.monstrosa is as far as i know uncertain., its very rare that people trading in spiders consider they have the correct name or not.

Also be careful of information you read if it doesn't cite the source. Its best to try to find out about the source - sometimes experts on frogs for example dont know about spiders too well. I imagine he got the information from a paper i list below by Cocroft and Hambler 1989 which talks about a study done in Tambopata reserve, on a species of frog living in tarantula burrows and contains some black and white photos of adult tarantula and several large juveniles... and if you do some searches on the forums of large black peruvian tarantula that has large juveniles living communally... you find all about a Pamphobeteus sp from Tambopata reserve 'aka the chicken spider' ... this is clearly not a Xenesthis species.

But. I should also add that Sam Marshall has done alot of work with Rick West who knows Peruvian/Ecuadorian spiders well. But neither of these guys were the ones who did the [seemingly erroneous] spider identification for Cocroft and Hambler 1989...

Cocroft and Hambler 1989 "Observations on a Commensal Relationship of the Microhylid Frog Chiasmocleis ventrimaculata and the Burrowing Theraphosid Spider Xenesthis immanis in Southeastern Peru" Biotropica, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Mar., 1989), pp. 2-8