G. Rosea color form question

Zigana said:

Thank you for the reply. So the G. Porteri is it still a rosea/rose hair or entirely different species? I just want to be sure I understand.

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logekl said:

Same species. Just different names because of their color morph. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/chilean-rose-tarantula.html and http://tarantula-care.com/grammostola-rosea-chilean-rose-tarantula-caresheet/ Says " Several colour forms exist, which were originally thought to be different species, and has led to some confusion in both the binomial and common names (i.e. G.cala as Chilean Flame) while they are now considered one species (in fact different color forms can come from the same eggsac) with the binomial name G.rosea, and the official AAS common name as Chilean rose. ".. Hope this helps you.

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advan said:

There is no evidence suggesting that are they same species, nor is there evidence they come from the same eggsac. Keep them separate until a peer reviewed paper comes out to sort out the whole Chilean Grammostola mess.

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logekl said:

I do agree with you about keeping them separate. No one suggested putting them together as they are both females. I just posted some pages trying to help out. Furthermore I was just writing what Stanley A. Schultz had to say on the matter too..
http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/roses.html (You can see the color forms and read the whole page by clicking the link.)

He starts with "We don't know a lot about these tarantulas because so few people have ever actually gone to Chile to see how they live and brought back believable reports. (Great vacation idea, no? Take LOTS of pictures. You wouldn't need someone to carry your bags, would you?) What's presented here seems to fit with what is known about them, but a lot of it is conjecture, not fact. (Extrapolated from other tarantulas, or even other animals.) It should be taken as interim wisdom until confirmed or corrected by new data."

"This species is a bit unusual among tarantulas in that it occurs naturally in at least three different color forms (sometimes also referred to as "colormorphs"). These all possess a more or less uniform dark gray undercoat. One color form is a more or less uniform, drab, dark gray (sometimes called "muddy" or "grubby") with at most only a sprinkling of lighter beige or pinkish hairs. Another possesses a uniformly dense, pretty, light pink outer coat. The last is a beautifully intense red or copper form. The adult males of this last form are spectacular!"

"Further, for about a decade there have been repeated rumors, especially from European enthusiasts, that someone had examined specimens in the pet industry and those in museums, and determined that what is now considered one species (Grammostola rosea) really was several different species. And, they were in the process of publishing a paper to that effect. But, in almost a decade no such paper has been forthcoming. Taxonomy doesn't operate on a basis of rumor and innuendo. It operates on rational arguments based on reproducible and verifiable facts. At this point, "There ain't enough meat in that hamburger! I ain't buying it!" And, until we see such a report, and it can be examined by knowledgeable arachnologists, and it is deemed believable, we're still left with the original contention: "There is only one species of several different color forms: Grammostola rosea." "
The last revision occurred on 2014-February-03.

Other links: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/chile...tarantula.html and http://tarantula-care.com/grammostol...ula-caresheet/

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advan said:

If I had a nickel for every time someone linked me to that incorrect book peddler..... Please don't take anything he says about taxonomy seriously.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?236526-Breeding-Color-Morphs-Forms&

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?244722-G.-Rosea-forms&highlight=rosea

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