Red knee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) growth – double click image!

Red knee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) showing exoskeleton from previous molt. Click/double click to enlarge.

OK. I’m deviating from what I said I would do in my previous post already…

The whole tarantula “thing” began last July with a captive-bred Arizona blonde tarantula spiderling given to me by the staff of the Sonoran Arthropod Studies Institute during the 2011 Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference.

I thought it appropriate that I add a little more diversity, so the two Mexican red knees arrived. They are siblings who were about a year of age when they arrived. Both were brown at that time, and both molted a little less than two months after their arrival.

Above I’ve posted an image showing the more colorful, more tractable individual with its cast exoskeleton for size perspective relative to the youngster photographed in the previous entry.

Lots of growth so far, but there’s A LOT more that will occur over the next decade…

Life inside a 2 oz. condiment cup

Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) spiderling showing size perspective relative to two ounce condiment cup. Click/double click image to enlarge.

I purchased several containers in anticipation of the arrival of five captive-bred spiderlings, who, by the way, spent a week in the US Mail in mid-January….

Anyway, all arrived healthy and ready to go into an enclosure with appropriate food and moisture.

All five looked AWFULLY small in their new enclosures.

Knowing that small enclosures are essential for successful rearing of tiny tarantula spiderlings, I quickly reviewed Michael Jacobi’s overview of spiderling rearing and went off in search of two-ounce condiment cups with lids.

One of the problems in procuring these cups  is the fact that they are sold in lots of 2,500, just 2,495 more than I needed. Of course the lids are sold separately…

I stopped by O’Charley’s (who I had noticed has black cups with transparent lids during a previous visit), told them of my plight, and was promptly given five cups with lids.

Yes, Marian and I had dinner there the following weekend.

It was immediately apparent that the combination of black plastic cup, clear plastic lid with five evenly spaced indentations (perfect for puncturing with a dissecting pin), and readily available coconut fiber animal bedding were ideal for early housing and care of the spiderlings.

The five individuals, comprising three species (Brachypelma smithi, Brachypelma albopilosa and red phase Grammostola rosea), have been very different in how they use and excavate their space.

Lynne Kelly, author of Spiders: Learning to Love Them, asked that I post some images of how I’m rearing these youngsters. I do take for granted how broad a range of species we can work with in the U.S. relative to those in countries with more stringent regulations, like Lynne in Australia.

The next three entries will deal specifically with each species and the species-specific differences I’m observing.

Stay tuned!

Honduran curly hair tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosa)

Honduran curly hair tarantula spiderling - Approximately 1/2" from leg to leg at the moment, this spider should grow significantly over the next year. Click to enlarge.

Native to the rain forests of Costa Rica and Honduras, adults of this large species are characterized by bronze body covered with short, curly hairs.

Like the Mexican red knees and the recently obtained Chilean rosehair, this docile species should be well suited to the classroom.

True to its species behavior in nature, where it can be found in deep burrows in banks or at the foot of many rainforest trees, this individual has proven to be quite a burrower. It has darkened significantly in the week I’ve had it, to a fairly uniform gray color.

Thanks to Jamie Lessee for sending this spiderling my way.

Red Chilean rose hair tarantula (Grammostola rosea)

This tiny red phase Chilean rose hair tarantula (Grammostola rosea) has about a 3/4" legspan. Click image to enlarge.

Chilean rose tarantulas (Grammostola rosea) are the most common tarantulas available in the pet trade, largely due to the large number of wild-caught specimens exported from Chile. There are two color morphs in this species. Rose (a pink-gray) and red are common designations for these colors. ‘

Found in the desert and scrub regions of Northern Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina, they feed on a wide range of small arthropods.

Females may live 15–20 years. Males die shortly after their final adult molt.

Like the majority of tarantulas in the Americas (New World tarantulas), they  may defend themselves with small, spiny utricating hairs that they kick off of their abdomen in the direction of the threatening organism.

Thanks to Jamie Lessee for sending this captive-bred spiderling my way. Now we’ll see how well I can do in rearing this individual to maturity…

Red knee tarantulas (Brachypelma smithi) preparing to molt

Red knee tarantula showing characteristic darkening of the abdomen prior to molt. Click image to enlarge.

Both of the red knee tarantulas I purchased in October stopped eating a little over a week ago, abdomens are darkening, and each has been on the side of its terrarium. It looks likes the second molt should occur soon.

Both tarantulas went from a fairly uniform brown to the color pattern you see above during the first molt. Colors should be brighter and more distinct after each of the next several molts.

Will post images on Things Biological, which posts indirectly to Facebook, after the molt occurs.

An unexpected New Year’s Day surprise

Wolf spider (Hogna sp.) with egg sac. Happy New Year! Click image to enlarge.

I awoke to the New Year with a casual morning of newspaper reading and tending to the animals. I was surprised to find the formerly huge abdomen of the female wolf spider reduced to normal size. Below the abdomen was a large egg sac that has remained attached to her.

I guess I need to delve deeply into some wolf spider sites so that I can anticipate the next series of occurrences. This should keep me occupied during the temporary winter blast that began last night.

Best of Things Biological, 2011

Alex Wild (Myrmecos)  and Ted MacRae (Beetles in the Bush) are well known entomologists who blog regarding various arthropods they encounter throughout the year. These exceptional ambassadors for the six- and eight-legged end each blogging year with a “Best of …” set of photographs that stand out personally for each of them.

Following Alex and Ted’s lead, I’m doing the same thing. I’ve selected a dozen shots that will hopefully allow others to experience what I experience on the other side of the lens.

Though each image is small, a link is provided to its original posting. Clicking that link will bring you to additional information as well as the option of image enlargement. The last two images are from two particularly enjoyable arthropod-related conferences/workshops I attended during 2011.

Here we go, and thanks for reading!

1. Courtship: Singing bush cricket

Night shot of a singing male taken at home in Urbana, IL. I was so taken with photographing this individual that I didn't think to switch my camera to video mode. Argh!

Magnifiable original entry

2. Mating: Adrenids

Image captured in the Sonoran Desert during the 2011 Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference in Rio Rico, AZ. The moving pepper grain-sized arthropod on the tiny flower turned out to be this mating pair once I magnified the image.

Magnifiable original entry

3. Birth: Aphid

I was preparing to photograph the leafhopper (above) during a collecting trip with my Field Biology class when I discovered the female aphid below it giving birth.

Magnifiable original entry

4. Development: Mesquite bug nymph

Picture of a stunning nymph taken using my wife's point-and-shoot camera at el Charco del Ingenio Botanical Garden Ecological Preservation Zone in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Magnifiable original entry

5. Development: Young jumping spider

This miniscule jumping spider was attracted to its reflection on my camera lens. Image captured at Meadowbrook Park, Urbana, IL.

Magnifiable original entry

6. Molting: Red knee tarantula

Image of a freshly molted red knee tarantula and its exoskeleton. Click on the link to the original entry to closely examine the exoskeleton.

Magnifiable original entry

7. Final Molt: Dog Day Cicada

I love the clarity of the nymphal exoskeleton and the newly emerged adult. Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time!

Magnifiable original entry

8. Foraging: Ant

Image captured somewhere in the Sonoran Desert during the 2011 Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference in Rio Rico, AZ.

Magnifiable original entry

9. Pollination: Megachilid

Image captured at the University of Illinois Aboretum's Idea Garden.

Magnifiable original entry

10. Parasitism: Phalangid

I observed this phalangid parasitized by mites at Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood, IL.

Magnifiable original entry

11. Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference: Bark Scorpion

My first wild scorpion image! This species has the most potent venom of any scorpion in North America.

Magnifiable original entry

The 2012 Invertebrates in Education and Conservation Conference will take place July 31 – August 5 in Tucson, AZ.

12. BugShot 2011: Mantispid

The first living mantispid I've encountered was attracted during one of the evening communal BugShot, 2011 blacklight sessions.

Magnifiable original entry

BugShot 2012 will be held Aug 23-26, 2012 at Archbold Biological Station, Venus, FL.

Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)

Sphex pensylvanicus, found throughout the U.S. except for the northwest, is an important pollinator of plants including the milkweeds. Click to magnify.

Like other sphecid wasps, the female paralyzes living insects and carries them to her underground nest. She lays her eggs on the paralyzed prey, which survive for the several weeks required for larval development.

Wolf spider (Hogna sp.) added to the classroom

Female wolf spider (Hogna sp.) shows me the Tenbrio molitor pupa I had just given her. How thoughtful! Click/double click to enlarge.

This individual, was brought to me by one of my students (thanks, Wyatt!) whose father found it in their workplace. It had to go, so it is now in my possession. Because it’s too cold to release, the spider will stay in my classroom until spring.

These quick, agile hunters are solitary, tackling and rapidly consuming prey approaching their own size. This individual is certainly a much more aggressive feeder than either of the desert-originating Mexican red knee tarantulas (Brachypelma smithi), though the native wolf spiders live on a much more rapid timescale than the slow-growing, multi-decade surviving red knee tarantulas.

Like all wolf spiders, two of her eight eyes are large and prominent, distinguishing her from nursery web spiders whose eyes are all of approximately equal size.

Important insect control agents, these spiders may bite if harassed, though the bite is medically insignificant.

Working with the Nikon R1C1 Macro Lighting System

Brachypelma smithi (Mexican red knee tarantula) poses for me as I captured one of my first images with the Nikon R1C1 lighting system. Click/double click image to enlarge.

I hope to spend some time over the next two weeks developing experience with the Nikon R1C1 macro lighting system.

It seems like it will be a lot of fun and quite versatile if I put in the required time reading, planning and experimenting. Time. I just have to squeeze it into an ever-expanding schedule.

I’m a little sparse on photographic subjects after the unexpected loss of one of the tarantulas, so I think I may have to practice using inanimate objects, which will likely be a WHOLE lot less fun…