paloma dwarf

josh_r

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i thought i would take a trip out today to see if the A. paloma have unplugges their burrows. they usually have their burrows unplugged by a few weeks ago, but with all the rain and cold weather, they have delayed activity. well, looks like they are just starting to become active cause i found a few today.

here are some habitat shots




now, when you first spot the burrows, they dont look like much. typically, people overlook their burrows or think they are a wolf spider. paloma tend to make perfectly round burrows no larger than a dime. the burrow structure is also different from most other spider species.

burrow


size comparison. this burrow is an adult female burrow


me digging up the burrow




the burrows typically go just into the soil at an angle and then widen up then go straight down. sometimes they spiral and other times, they dont. the burrow will go straight down about a foot or so then either cut straight back or double back on itself. it is very easy to lose a burrow if you do not know what to expect. the burrows are no wider than a pen in some places as well. but when all your effort pays off, heres what ya get




here is a size comparison. these are fullgrown adult females!



these are one of my absolute favorite natives. they are much better looking in person as well. they are light silver/gray with an olive green/brown hue over the body and legs. amazing spiders!

-josh
 

lostriverdoc

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Fantastic pics. I love going out and finding the local dwarf species here in So. Arizona. What state are you finding the a.paloma in. That pic of the one you have in your hand appears to be about the same size as the aphonopelma species I find here.
 

GailC

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What a cute little T:) Is this species ever offered for sale? I love dwarfs and wouldn't mind getting a pair.
 

josh_r

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Fantastic pics. I love going out and finding the local dwarf species here in So. Arizona. What state are you finding the a.paloma in. That pic of the one you have in your hand appears to be about the same size as the aphonopelma species I find here.

actually, i live in phoenix, az. this spider was found just north of phoenix. this species has a very large range through western and central arizona. what part of arizona do you live in??? do you have a photo of the dwarf species you find?


waldo, this species is VERY RARELY offered for sale. i believe it is because most people dont bother with the dwarf species as they lack the impressive size.

-josh
 

lostriverdoc

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I live in Whetstone about 60mi. south of Tucson. I'll post a pic after work today. I found a couple of males while hiking Carr Canyon but left them there. Recently found one I believe is a female @ Ramsey Canyon and decided to keep this one.
 

josh_r

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ah the whetstone area. your spider could be several differnt things. post a pic and lets see if its something i know. there are a few species that are unnamed down that way.

-josh
 

John Apple

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Talked with Josh for a couple hours last night and he is a cool cat.
The pics are amazing and I can't wait to see what else you catch and post.
 

pinkzebra

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Great photos and very informative post. Thanks for sharing! I love our native species and have trouble finding info about them in their natural habitat.
 

josh_r

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thank you for the generous comment john. you are a cool cat as well. its nice to finally meet someone who loves the dwarf T's as much as i do.

pinkzebra, the only thing i can tell you about learning where and how to find things is.... do your homework and then put in the field time. ive learned everything i know from just getting out there and doing it.

-josh
 

josh_r

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that looks like the dark phase of paloma. the paloma i have are far northern populations and are olive green/brown with a silver hue to them. the southern populations tend to be more dark smokey gray as your animal is. she is a very nice looking spider. great find! did you find her in flat desert or an alluvial fan with fairly rich granite/sand soil??


ive been wanting to get further down south and get some of the dark paloma. just havnt had the time so far. now is the time to do it as they are just unplugging their burrows. i should go look this weekend.

-josh
 

lostriverdoc

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Found her on Brown Ranch @ the base of Ramsey Canyon. Was walking the road that leads onto Brown Ranch and came upon some holes and was able to get her to come out.
The road and surrounding area is somewhat flat grassy desert.
This is a pic of the area. Found her about 100 yards to the right of the ruins.
 
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josh_r

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yep, that is prime paloma habitat. are they abundant there?? tehre are some other dwarf species in your area that area VERY COOL! i can PM you some localities for some cool stuff if your ever in teh mood for some bug hunting

-josh
 

lostriverdoc

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That would be great. I'm always out and about flipping things for scorps and looking for T burrows. Have found many male T's out and about, but only find females once in awhile. Getting ready to do some herping to add to my collection of reptiles. The Dragoons are great for that.
 

josh_r

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the dragoons are very cool! ive never herped there, but ive always wanted to stop on the way to the chiricahuas. what kinda herps do u collect?? ive done LOTS of herping down there as well as bug hunting. we should get together this summer. the most variability is right down in your neck of the woods. i love it down there!

-josh
 

josh_r

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lookin at the pic of your spider some more, that may be one of the random unnamed dwarfs that live down there. i would have to get a good look at it up close to tell. the urticating patch on your animal looks very large. paloma have very small urticating patches. does your animal flick hairs at all?? also, does your animal do the cryptic walk with the abdomen way up in the air and the chelicera spread?? i am definitely going to have to come check your spider out sometime.

-josh
 

lostriverdoc

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Has not flicked in the 4 or 5 months I had it. Just molted over the past week and it does walk with it's butt up in the air. Prior to the molt it was a very dull gray. The colors you see may just be adult coloring. Have a number of herps, Cali, Desert King , Mex. Black, Az. Mountain King. 4 western diamondbacks, black mohave, and a Az. blacktail (desert phase). Will be looking for a normal green Mohave and a mountain phase Az. blacktail.
 

pinkzebra

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Oh man, I am so envious that you two have these creatures in your backyard practically. I'd LOVE to be able to go T hunting but I live all the way in east bumble....Maybe someday, on a vacation or something.

Good luck on your herping and T ventures!


Jen
 

lostriverdoc

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Lived here for 5 years now, but didn't see my first scorp or T for the first 2 years. I can go out anytime for a walk into the mountains by my house and find a half doz. v. spinigeris or c. exilicauda within an hour of searching. My wife took my two boys to a cub scout meeting in the early fall and came home with an a. chalcodes. I'm training her well:D And the weather's not bad either.
 

josh_r

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lostriverdoc, i got rid of 2 VERY HI YELLOW blacktails from down south last year. they were amazing! check my photobucket page for pics.

http://s243.photobucket.com/albums/ff288/pascoman81/

the links to the left are my different folders.

my first year in arizona, i was finding schmidti, flagstaff oranges, behlei and i had found hualapai on many occasions during visits before i moved here. i had it pretty good right from the get go. we need to hook up sometime riverdoc

-josh
 
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