Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#347758
Tarantula - Eucteniza relata

Tarantula - Eucteniza relata
Copperas Cove, Coryell County, Texas, USA
October 21, 2009

Images of this individual: tag all
Tarantula - Eucteniza relata Tarantula - Eucteniza relata Tarantula - Eucteniza relata Tarantula - Eucteniza relata Tarantula - Eucteniza relata Tarantula - Eucteniza relata Tarantula - Eucteniza relata

Moved
Moved from Eucteniza.

Moved
Moved from Mygalomorphs.

Dead or Alive
The spider in the photos was slowly bleeding to death as I photographed and only noticed an occasional twitch in the pedipalps.
But I still have the spider in a plastic box. As I lifed the lid this morning I noticed a bit of a "rancid" odor but I think that would go away if exposed to circulating air. I would be happy to mail this to someone to examine if need be.

Or, I have collected another like specimen which is here on my desk very much alive. It is a little smaller but is the same type spider. If someone wants it I would be happy to send it as well.

If interested it either, or both, just drop me a line at
job2458@earthlink.net

Jim

 
Well, I might be interested i
Well, I might be interested in either, but living abroad, this is generally too complicated (and really impossible for live specimens). But perhaps someone else will chime in.

- (Thanks for thinking of us)

Not Ctenizidae (so no Hebesta
Not Ctenizidae (so no Hebestatis or Ummidia). This is without doubt Eucteniza (Cyrtaucheniidae).

 
Species?
Oh, any chance of determining whether this is E. stolida or E. rex?

(Bond and Opell write "tibia II with a large mid-ventral mega-spine" -- is that what I see on the right leg II here?

-K

 
The genus is in the process o
The genus is in the process of being revised.

 
Hi Brent- What diagnostic
Hi Brent-

What diagnostic features should we be aware of? Looking at the SONA keys for the family, one might be tempted to stop at Entychides: "spines on tibia of leg I borne on a low, distally placed retrolateral apophysis". Looking at the image of leg I here, however, I suppose one might say that the spines here are more prolateral in position, but they appear much the same as in the illustration in SONA (p. 47).

Thanks (Kari, too) for setting us (me) straight!

-K

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

I moved it here so that my mygale-studying friends could perhaps ID it. Does look like a ctenizid, but scorpions are my bag, although I really love mygalomorphs!

Process images...
Since this is a new genus for BG, it might be worthwhile to fix up these badly underexposed images. I can do this, if necessary. Or better yet, reshoot them, if you still have him.

BTW, the male has not yet been officially described, according to SONA.

Added: If not too late, I would hang on to him. If we are right, this would possibly extend the recorded range, which according to SONA is central to southern CA. --- although I see now that Gertch's female (1935) was collected in Bizbee, Arizona.

Added: Based on the quarter, the size of this specimen, excluding chelicerae, is about 25 mm.

-K

Hebestatis (Ctenizidae)
Take a look at page 44 of SONA (Spiders of North America), illus. 6: "tibia of leg I with two prominent spines borne on an apophysis".

There is only one species: Hebestatis theveneti Simon, 1891

Aphonopelma paloma
I'm guessing this might be Aphonopelma paloma but not sure as I was thinking they are mostly in Arizona and have not seen one before.
Any comments welcome!

 
No - our Tarantulas
in Arizona look quite different

 
..
Using common names gets very confusing for me, especially with the mygalamorphs.

I would tend to agree here with Mandy. As far as I can see, the Theraphosidae show (more?) visible spinnerets (and, of course, much hair).

-K

BTW, the description of A. paloma can be found here.

 
Not Tarantula
This spider is nearly hairless and it's pedipalps suggest a different type of Mygalomorph...one of the folding-door spiders perhaps? That's what those long, folding type pedipalps are used for-- opening and closing doors/hide-outs. I would guess this one is a male, based on the fact that males are seen much more often than the females (who prefer to stay hidden in their 'lair'). Check out this Ummidia and see what you think:

 
Definitely a male, and looks
Definitely a male, and looks very much like one I found in North Carolina. I can't see it here (so far -- the images are very underexposed and require a great deal of correction), but tibia III of Ummidia is supposed to have a deep, shiny saddle-like depression.

The large dorsal scutum is also of interest -- need to do some more research. Species will be impossible, I suspect (if Ummidia).

-K