Approximately 24 hours after the molt the coloration changes are significant. This individual should be stunning as an adult. Double-click to enlarge.
The timing could have been no better. The lighter colored of the two Mexican red-knee tarantula spiderlings purchased in October stopped eating almost two weeks ago. It became inactive and began showing subtle coloration changes including a darkening abdomen, both indicative of an upcoming molt.
Yesterday I arrived at school a little before 1 PM to open the biology and computer labs for the Saturday ExploraVision and Field Biology open labs. I checked the spiders and found this individual on its back on a sparse web, moving minimally. Thanks to all of the YouTube molting videos I knew that was the norm, though I have to admit that each time the spider moved I did feel better.
About a half hour later a white apparition began emerging from just above the top of the chelicerae. The apparition’s massive chelicerae – about three times the size of the chelicerae immediately below them – were stunning. The pale spider pushed through it old exoskeleton over the next hour, rising above its former exoskeleton. Exhausted and soft bodied, it lay attached to its water bowl. It later fell to its side, rolled upside down again, and laid motionless for the next half hour.
I successfully avoided the impulse to flip it upright and checked on the spider between my periods of working with individual students. The spider continued to lay motionless, darkening and hardening over the next half hour. Two hours after the start of the molt, the newly emerged spider righted itself, having darkened almost to the point of its sibling in the previous entry. A few minutes later, at 2 PM, the open lab was done. The students and I were able to observe the process in its entirety while they worked on their arthropod collections. The timing truly could have been no better. I wish I would have had my camera with me…
Timing indeed.
I’m not sure I would have had the self control to avoid “rescuing” it.
Treat your camera like a Visa card (never leave home without it!).
I think I’m learning the Visa card thing. The worst part of the whole situation was that I had access to one of the Nikon R1C1 macro lighting set-ups, batteries, and had worked with it enough that I could get some really nice pictures AND it was all at school. All i needed was the camera…
Lesson learned!
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