I caught both of these as immatures last July and August. The female molted twice and the male once, both finally maturing just last week. This picture was taken about ten minutes after I put them together this afternoon, looking down on the pair from directly overhead. The female is in the process of building a retreat for herself in the corner (note her extended spinnerets) and the male is hovering close by, occasionally touching her but not trying to move in. He is cautious and she is tolerant. She lets him be, but every so often puts a swath of silk over him as she goes about her business. He shrugs it off easily and resumes his hovering. It's hard to see in this picture, but he's crazy about her. :)
This is a beautiful species which I rarely get to see in the wild. In captivity they remain in their retreats during the day but come out at night to wander around.
More pictures of the male here:
Contributed by
John Sloan on 11 December, 2010 - 2:15am
Last updated 12 December, 2010 - 2:54am