Let's go to the desert!

Smokehound714 · Apr 5, 2014

Let's get a nice little group hunt going.. If you're in socal, the desert's not too far.. I've got spots that are easily accessed, with parking, and stores nearby.

I've got a UV light, plenty of water, and I'll be able to ID most anything you find.

temps are scheduled to rise, at the end of the week, and will no longer be comfy.. let's try to make this work

Trailblazr80 · Apr 6, 2014

I'll go if enough people are interested.

exitium · Apr 6, 2014

Oh man, I've been wanting to go on a tarantula trek so bad! I was I lived closer to Cali

Smokehound714 · Apr 7, 2014

I have spots that hold the following in riverside county, ca:

Hadrurus arizonensis

Smeringerus mesaensis

Smeringerus vachoni

Multiple paruroctonus sp.

vaejovis spinigerus

Aphonopelma reversum

Aphonopelma joshua

Aphonopelma mojave (san bernadino county)

In san diego county:

Hadrurus anzaborrego

(most other species in the above counties, as well)

Lots of other neat arachnids can be found in all the above counties, like Olios giganteus, hogna carolinensis, an awesome slate-grey Geolycosa species, schizocosa maxima are more common, phidippus octopunctatus (largest jumping spider in the USA, even larger than regius, body length can sometimes exceed 1"-- aggressively defensive, careful!!)

It's beginning to get too hot for day trips, we'll be seeing 90's soon.. you wanna be there while everything's still green and hydrated. While it's true that it gets humid in summer, the ground isnt saturated like it is now by then.. Everything's wide awake. tarantulas, scorpions, everything.

Titandan · Apr 7, 2014

Hey guys,

I will be in SoCal in May. Can I go with you all? I'll pitch in for gas.

Thanks!
-dan

Smokehound714 · Apr 9, 2014

Personally, i dont care how many people go. I just dont wanna have to take a 5 hour bus ride there, stay overnight til 5am, then a 5 hour bus ride back to tustin st, then another 40 minutes on the bus, then a 20 minute walk home. Totally bogus. I dont get why this is being so difficult to achieve. I'll pitch in a benjamin if i have to.

(Lol, then all of a sudden replies, yeah that was a joke, get serious ahahaha)

Trailblazr80 · Apr 10, 2014

It's supposed to cool down in the next few weeks- so the weather reports claim.

kellakk · Apr 10, 2014

I'm always in. Sometime in May sounds perfect.

widowkeeper · Apr 12, 2014

I will be in that area in June /July any suggestions on stops ?

Smokehound714 · Apr 18, 2014

widowkeeper said:
I will be in that area in June /July any suggestions on stops ?

I can pretty much tell if a spot is worth checking out just by looking at it in google maps. The good part about socal's deserts is washes are abundant, and good habitat exists pretty much everywhere, provided it hasnt been disturbed too much. Pretty much anywhere could yield good results- bases of hillsides, cliffs, etc.

I'll be mainly targeting spiders, both araneomorphs and mygalomorphs. There's a neat species of geolycosa that frequents the deserts, with an awesome uniform slate-grey color. As far as I know, dunes are protected, and collection is off-limits. I have no idea where to find dunes where we can legally collect. perhaps Josh_R can chime in?

There's no telling what we'll find!

Trailblazr80 · Apr 18, 2014

Smokehound714 said:
I can pretty much tell if a spot is worth checking out just by looking at it in google maps. The good part about socal's deserts is washes are abundant, and good habitat exists pretty much everywhere, provided it hasnt been disturbed too much. Pretty much anywhere could yield good results- bases of hillsides, cliffs, etc.

I'll be mainly targeting spiders, both araneomorphs and mygalomorphs. There's a neat species of geolycosa that frequents the deserts, with an awesome uniform slate-grey color. As far as I know, dunes are protected, and collection is off-limits. I have no idea where to find dunes where we can legally collect. perhaps Josh_R can chime in?

There's no telling what we'll find!

Dunes are protected? I know people who collect around Algodones Dunes in Imperial Valley, but that's all I know. I don't know exactly what they've collected there and I've never actually been there. I've just heard them talking about it.

Smokehound714 · Apr 18, 2014

The algodones dunes are owned by the bureau of land management.

You definitely don't wanna be caught collecting anything from that area.

The blm has a reward for anyone caught collecting anything from blm-managed areas.

kellakk · Apr 19, 2014

I beg to differ. http://www.theskepticalmoth.com/collecting-permits/ According to this entomologist, BLM lands are ok for collecting. And if it were not and we got caught, I doubt we'd get much more than a warning.

Smokehound714 · Apr 19, 2014

kellakk said:
I beg to differ. http://www.theskepticalmoth.com/collecting-permits/ According to this entomologist, BLM lands are ok for collecting. And if it were not and we got caught, I doubt we'd get much more than a warning.

Hm.. i guess i misread the fossil falls page.. i guess that was only for archaeological sites, then. I remembered reading that there was a 500 dollar reward for people caught removing objects, but i guess that only pertains to the native american artifacts at fossil falls....

Im confused, (link wont load) do we need to obtain a permit, or is it just fine to go there?

To be honest, im not to interested in the dunes, anyway, though.. I was hoping to hit up some areas around the boundaries of joshuatree, and some other areas nearby. We can find dwarf aphonopelma, hadrurus, smeringerus (both vachoni and mesaensis!), and many of the species i had listed above. I'm really hoping to get a male and female A. joshua.

While the dunes are definitely awesome, and some amazing animals DO live there, the diversity is quite low, a few rare paruroctonus sp, perhaps an aptostichus species, if we're lucky, and of course, smeringerus.. and a bunch of tenebrionids, but it's limited to animals adapted to dunes.. So we wont see hadrurus, or aphonopelma, or many other species I'm targeting, like phidippus, which kinda bums me out.. I'd really like some hadrurus species, personally! I mean, if you guys REALLY wanna hit that place up, i have no beef, because smeringerus and paruroctonus xanthus both interest me.

I am pretty interested in sand-treaders, though. Very interesting camel crickets!

Trailblazr80 · Apr 19, 2014

I saw the same site kellakk did, but any location is fine. I'd just be tagging along with the experts . I'd also like to catch some Phidippus.

Beary Strange · Apr 19, 2014

We're actually headed up to the high desert as we speak (sorry for not inviting anyone along-we're visiting family so). Hoping to find some little cuties while we're up there. :3

Smokehound714 · Apr 19, 2014

Belle Fury said:
We're actually headed up to the high desert as we speak (sorry for not inviting anyone along-we're visiting family so). Hoping to find some little cuties while we're up there. :3

PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES. look for dwarves!!

Beary Strange · Apr 19, 2014

Smokehound714 said:
PICTURES PICTURES PICTURES. look for dwarves!!

We are. But so far not even any wolfies, just lots and lots of blue death feigning beetles. XD;;

Trailblazr80 · Apr 20, 2014

Belle Fury said:
We are. But so far not even any wolfies, just lots and lots of blue death feigning beetles. XD;;

What area were you in specifically, if you don't mind? I'd like to know a good spot for blue death beetles for the future.

Beary Strange · Apr 20, 2014

trailblazr80 said:
What area were you in specifically, if you don't mind? I'd like to know a good spot for blue death beetles for the future.

In Apple Valley near the rocks. Tons of those beetles and we've seen tarantula hawks but so far no Ts. :/

Let's go to the desert!

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnopeon

Arachnoking

Arachnopeon

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnosquire

Arachnoknight

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnoking

Arachnosquire

Arachnodemon

Arachnoking

Arachnodemon

Arachnosquire

Arachnodemon