Poecilotheria subfusca color variations ?

Raqua · Aug 6, 2006

I have compared some pictures I have found on internet and my specimens and some specimens apear to be much darker than others.

See these pictures for example:
http://giantspiders.com/subfusca.jpg
http://www.arachnophilia.de/spiders/ps92_u257_1077702351_b.jpg
http://www.spidercity.ch/images/poecilotheriasubfusca1_520.jpg
http://users.atw.hu/donot/fotos/fajok/p_subfusca_03.jpg
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/attachment.php?attachmentid=40784&stc=1&d=1117701066

Is this some kind of color variations or do P.subfusca get darker with age or what ?

Gigas · Aug 6, 2006

they will get darker with age and adults will be very dark after a moult and gradually get lighter dark patches

brachy · Aug 6, 2006

Hi

Its not big diference. Its not colorvariation. That diference can make flash on camera, other lights and age of spider. Older spiders color are lighter.

Raqua · Aug 6, 2006

brachy said:
Hi

Its not big diference. Its not colorvariation. That diference can make flash on camera, other lights and age of spider. Older spiders color are lighter.

I think that there are some colou variants. I have seen specimens with completelly black carpace and specimens with light/lighter carpace. Both adult.

brachy · Aug 6, 2006

Hi

Freshly molted adult spiders are very dark but spiders which will molt are lighter. P. subfusca have 2 variations but it is in size of spider.

Tarantula · Aug 6, 2006

There is a dark color form of subfusca.. and I belive it is a light one to. And the normal one ofcourse.

syndicate · Aug 6, 2006

i think the different color forms occur at different altitudes in the mountains they live on.i love the color patterns of subfusca tho.especially when there juvies!

Tarantula · Aug 7, 2006

Yes I think I have heard something about that. The dark form grows larger then the other 2 forms.

phormingochilus · Aug 7, 2006

There are at least three different forms of P. subfusca:

A large normal coloured lowland form (formerly P. bara)
A large almost entirely uniform black highland form (I for one suspect this to be what is today named P.uniformis)
A medium sized normal coloured highland form (typical P. subfusca)

The usual P. subfusca in the hobby is the medium sized normal coloured highland form. It goes without saying (But I'll say it anyway) that there is also variations within these three groups of forms. Both highland forms are found in sympatric relationships, that is they can be found at the same locality, but as far is known not within the same eggsac.

Regards
Søren

Raqua · Aug 7, 2006

phormingochilus said:
There are at least three different forms of P. subfusca:

A large normal coloured lowland form (formerly P. bara)
A large almost entirely uniform black highland form (I for one suspect this to be what is today named P.uniformis)
A medium sized normal coloured highland form (typical P. subfusca)

The usual P. subfusca in the hobby is the medium sized normal coloured highland form. It goes without saying (But I'll say it anyway) that there is also variations within these three groups of forms. Both highland forms are found in sympatric relationships, that is they can be found at the same locality, but as far is known not within the same eggsac.

Regards
Søren

Thank you for clearing that up Søren.
Do you know if the other two color forms are also in the hobby? I suppose they would be mixed with regular form anyway, but I am curious...

The pictures in this thread also made me think.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=65436
Those legs seems to be much more black and much more yellow than I have seen on any other picture. It might be result of camera/photoshop, but in case that the spider really looks this way in person it must be the best looking subfusca I have seen.

Henry Kane · Aug 7, 2006

Aren't there some variation between sexes as well? I've not kept enough of this species to know for certain but I thought immature males tend have less contrast in color on the carapace and abdomen patterns than females. :?

G.

phormingochilus · Aug 8, 2006

To my knowledge none of the other two forms are in the hobby. The large lowland form is the largest officially recorded poke (larger than P. rufilata and P. ornata) with a carapace of 3 cm ... None of the specimens in the hobby that I have seen has had these proportions even though I have seen some large specimens. The uniform black form has been in the hobby in small quantities but all are dead and none were bred. I have the last specimens of this form conserved in alcohol, and have shown it to more than one astounded researcher. It basically looks like a Psalmopoeus irminia with a folium on the abdomen and very faint and narrow white bands between leg joints.

So the variations you see are due to photographic capabilities, light settings, interspecific variations age related variations and sexual variations.

Regards
Søren

Raqua said:
Thank you for clearing that up Søren.
Do you know if the other two color forms are also in the hobby? I suppose they would be mixed with regular form anyway, but I am curious...

The pictures in this thread also made me think.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=65436
Those legs seems to be much more black and much more yellow than I have seen on any other picture. It might be result of camera/photoshop, but in case that the spider really looks this way in person it must be the best looking subfusca I have seen.

Kris · Aug 19, 2006

phormingochilus said:
...The large lowland form is the largest officially recorded poke (larger than P. rufilata and P. ornata) with a carapace of 3 cm ... None of the specimens in the hobby that I have seen has had these proportions even though I have seen some large specimens...

Hi Sören,

i can´t really believe that this P.subfusca is the largest officially recorded poke.
I have a really big P.rufilata with a carapace over 3,5cm.
Here´s a picture of the carapace and it´s an old one.

Scourge · Aug 19, 2006

Perhaps Soren means the width of the carapace

phormingochilus · Aug 20, 2006

That's a big girl you have there Kris ;-) But is she officially recorded ;-) The largest described Poecilotheria is a large P. subfuca specimen with a carapace lenght of 3 cm. so not so big as your girl, but the biggest in the record ;-)

Regards
Søren

Kris said:
Hi Sören,

i can´t really believe that this P.subfusca is the largest officially recorded poke.
I have a really big P.rufilata with a carapace over 3,5cm.
Here´s a picture of the carapace and it´s an old one.

mcy · Aug 20, 2006

holy smokes kris thats a big carapace can we see the actual spider?

Becky · Nov 15, 2006

phormingochilus said:
To my knowledge none of the other two forms are in the hobby. The large lowland form is the largest officially recorded poke (larger than P. rufilata and P. ornata) with a carapace of 3 cm ... None of the specimens in the hobby that I have seen has had these proportions even though I have seen some large specimens. The uniform black form has been in the hobby in small quantities but all are dead and none were bred. I have the last specimens of this form conserved in alcohol, and have shown it to more than one astounded researcher. It basically looks like a Psalmopoeus irminia with a folium on the abdomen and very faint and narrow white bands between leg joints.

So the variations you see are due to photographic capabilities, light settings, interspecific variations age related variations and sexual variations.

Regards
Søren

Got any pics of them ones??? Would be very interested to see that!

Poecilotheria subfusca color variations ?

Raqua

Arachnobaron

Gigas

Arachnoprince

brachy

Arachnobaron

Raqua

Arachnobaron

brachy

Arachnobaron

Tarantula

Arachnobaron

syndicate

Arachnoemperor

Tarantula

Arachnobaron

phormingochilus

Arachnoangel

Raqua

Arachnobaron

Henry Kane

Arachnoprince

phormingochilus

Arachnoangel

Kris

Arachnosquire

Scourge

Arachnoknight

phormingochilus

Arachnoangel

mcy

Arachnoknight

Becky

Arachnolord