Unsure of the female’s last molt date but she looked fresh enough and was fed heavily for the week leading up to the pairing.
Pairing took place on February 6th with multiple insertions witnessed.
After pairing attempt she was heavily fed and a sac dropped a little over a month after on April 28th
The sac was pulled away from the female a little over a month after on May 25th
Post-mating care:
The female was fed heavily after pairing and the humidity in her enclosure was raised by flooding one side of her enclosure while keeping the other side dry.
As 2017 is rolling out we have come to find out there are new changes to Avicularia. This genus by Lamarck, 1818 has been revised and all species rediagnosed. This entire report has been published as well as well documented and can be found here. It is an interesting article and very informative for any tarantula keeper and we highly recommend you taking the time to read it.
However, for those who just want to know what changed…..Here ya go:
A.versicolor is now Caribena versicolor
A.laeta is now Caribena laeta
A.rickwesti is now Antillena rickwesti
A.sooretama is now Ybyrapora sooretama
A.gamba is now Ybyrapora gamba
A.diversipes is now Ybyrapora diversipes
A.avicularia variegata is now A.variegata
A.bicegoi is now A.variegata
A.velutina is now A.avicularia
A.exilis is now A.avicularia
A.ancylochyra is now A.avicularia
A.cuminami is now A.avicularia
A.nigrotaeniata is now A.avicularia
A.urticans is now A.juruensis
A.affinis is now Euathlus affinis
A.subvulpina is now Grammostola subvulpina
A.aymara is now Thrixopelma aymara
A.leporina is now Iridopelma leporina
A.plantaris is now Iridopelma plantaris
This genus was a taxonomic dumping ground for wrongly placed species. Taxonomy long ago was nowhere near as specific and precise as it is now. That’s why so many things were incorrectly placed into certain genera. It is also why so many species are now to be synonymous with others. When a genus gets moved or changed, it just means that it never belonged in the genus it was in to begin with. When this happens it needs to be moved to the correct genus and this is just one of many new revisions to come as technology and better research happen in the 21st century. It might be hard to understand but this will end up being for the betterment and for the future of this genera.
What about you? What are your thoughts? Share with us and remember to rename your tarantulas!
The Colombian Giant Redleg tarantula comes from the tropical rainforests of Colombia and Brazil. Considered an average sized species they reach sizes of 6″ to 8″ in leg span at full growth. Known for their velevet black and red colors they are most definitely a beautiful species. They are fairly quick growers with males reaching maturity within 3 to 5 years and females growing to be up to 15 years old.
Habitat: The Colombian Giant Redleg is a terrestrial tarantula but can be an obligate burrower. Though their sizes can differ and mature species can be anywhere between 6″ to 8″ we recommend you keep them at full growth in a 10 gallon tank. Make sure you have at least 6″ of substrate to allow your tarantula to burrow should it feel the need to in addition to having a nice startup hide for it. As slings these can be kept in vial and later on a deli cup. Though the more hardier of Megaphobema sp. we recommend you keep the Megaphobema robustum at a slight lower temperature as most tarantulas. We recommend temperatures of 75°F to 84°F with a humidity of 70 to 85%. They do not do well with higher temperatures and a close eye on them should be kept. As always an overflowing water dish should always be kept in the enclosure.
Feeding: Overall great eaters we recommend flightless fruitflies when small slings and later switching it over to small pinhead crickets. Feel free to crush their heads to prevent them hurting your spiderling. You can feed your Megaphobema robustum a mixed variety of crickets, roaches, meal worms and locusts. Be careful of your tarantula being in pre-molt and not wanting to eat. If prey is not eaten within 24 hours of being placed in the enclosure feel free to remove and leave your tarantula alone for at least 1 week as she or he can be ready to molt.
Attitude: Though not aggressive, Megaphobema robustum have urticating hairs which they carry in both their abdomen and back legs. As a defense mechanism they tend to raise their abdomen and flick off a lot of urticating hairs compared to many other species. A fairly shy tarantula they prefer to run then to to show threat posture. They can bite, though harmless, can be equivalent to a bee sting.
A great tarantula overall and definitely should be part of any collection!
