"Purple Pink Toe"

Faing

Arachnoknight
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prople pink 1.jpg
pruple pink 2.jpg

Got this guy some months ago. Sold as "Purple Pink Toe". Looks like a fat Avicularia urticans to me. Of course, it's also webbed its cage to the moon and back.

Any consensus? It's got nifty little pink toes though. :angelic:

I was only going to get ONE tarantula last year. That worked out well. Anybody else have trouble saying no to Avics? :sarcasm:
 
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twbillings

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Oct 8, 2003
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49
Me! I love avics. That looks like an Urticans. Common names I've heard are purple pink toe and peru pink toes.
 

NewAgePrimal

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May 31, 2014
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It could also be avicularia spp. "Peru Purple". What size is your specimen and how did you aquire it?
 

Faing

Arachnoknight
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It could also be avicularia spp. "Peru Purple". What size is your specimen and how did you aquire it?
About 1.5". Just a random guy that wanted to be rid of his 'purple pinktoe', not sure who exactly who he got it from either. Haven't seen him since and no contact info.
 

purevl

Arachnopeon
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Jan 13, 2014
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A. urticans I've always heard called Peru Purple or Peruvian Pinktoe; A. purpurea is what I've heard as Purple Pinktoe. I have slings of both but neither is as large as that so not sure what differences in colors at that size may be.
 

arach619

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Jun 26, 2014
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A. Purpurea and A. urticans are the purple pink toes by common name, but this is definitely not A. purpurea. How knowledgeable was the previous owner? If I had a dime for every time I've been sold a 'skeleton toed tarantula' just because it had white stripes on its legs... anyway there's been a recent influx of A. metallica that I've noticed in the hobby and all those white setae on the legs resemble one to me. Could be urticans though if you have any other pics to help identify.
 

jim777

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Sep 6, 2011
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"Guess the Avic" is a tough one to play! I've got an immature A. azuraklaasi that has nearly that same coloring, for what its worth.
 

Faing

Arachnoknight
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A. Purpurea and A. urticans are the purple pink toes by common name, but this is definitely not A. purpurea. How knowledgeable was the previous owner? If I had a dime for every time I've been sold a 'skeleton toed tarantula' just because it had white stripes on its legs... anyway there's been a recent influx of A. metallica that I've noticed in the hobby and all those white setae on the legs resemble one to me. Could be urticans though if you have any other pics to help identify.
Haha I've seen rose hairs sold as 'skeleton tarantulas' in pet stores before, so I get what you're implying.

The guy I got it from wasn't a huge Avic fan but wasn't completely non-knowledgeable either. And yeah, this definitely isn't A. purpurea, I know what those guys look like. I've only seen adult A. metaliica before, but the carapace and abdomen doesn't have those subtle colors I've seen in adults, though I did also notice the pink with white at end of the tarsus. I probably will leave it a mystery a while and when it gets big enough to relocate I'll snap some pics in the identify thread. It's a pretty spider and species will only be important if it turns out to be male and mature or if it ever gets bred.

Any tips on the best way to take pics and angles for tarantula identification with a digital camera? I don't have a high end (less than $100) camera and light refraction as well as other variables make it hard to get a clear focused picture sometimes. Just curious.

Thanks btw!
 

Storm76

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Most Avicularia spp. slings can't be distinguished at all, because they look very much the same when they're small. Exceptions are A. versicolor, A. laeta, A. diversipes, A. purpurea as those show very specific colorations none of the others have. Wait till the little one gains adult colors and then see. Especially if it's a female you'll have the chance to try IDing it by spermathecae. However, I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
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fuzzyavics72

Arachnobaron
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It's either avicularia urticans or avicularia sp. peru purple. Stunning specimen by the way.I have 95% of all the avicularia sp. on the market. Even as adults sometimes you can't tell, but this should help. TRUE avicularia urticans have a greenish tint to them. As he/she gets bigger I will be able to tell you for sure or I can find out for you. :)

In my opinion, the invert hobby needs to get rid of common names! The Germans need to stop making two or three common names for the same species, Lastly we need to stop taking inverts from the wild so often.( I understand different bloodlines are good, but we're helping the demise of some species.....
 
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Poec54

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we need to stop taking inverts from the wild so often.( I understand different bloodlines are good, but we're helping the demise of some species.....
Most countries are shut down for exports, and those that do allow it often have restrictions. The species that's suffered the worst from wild collecting for the pet trade is G rosea. They're slow growing and have been exported for decades. Not a species that can bounce back quickly or a habitat with the resources to allow it. Above all, that's one species that we should be discouraging people from getting w/c specimens of.
 

fuzzyavics72

Arachnobaron
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I would say there's more than just rose hairs.. I would agree by say their the most damaged from our hobby. :/ too bad greed ruins everything. Hobbyists cause too much of a demand for tarantulas and don't forget people don't care about laws.
 

Poec54

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Hobbyists cause too much of a demand for tarantulas and don't forget people don't care about laws.
Part of the problems is that politicians don't care about animals and many of the laws they enact are symbolic & 'feel good', rather than thought out and in the best interests of the animals. The biggest cause of population declines and extinction by far is habitat destruction; locals can routinely wipe out countless plants and animals with no consequences, while the hobbyists and collections are the ones who are regulated. Zoos don't have the resources or the interest in saving tarantulas; they're concentrating on a few high profile species that appeal to the public, that's what their funding and donations are earmarked for (which in turn increase attendance receipts). It will be up to us to keep some of the tarantula species alive in the future as habitat loss and natural events take their toll (hurricanes, fires, floods, drought, etc). The wild is not the safe haven it once was. Ideally we should be able to get all of the tarantula species established in captivity, for the good of the animals. With politicians tying our hands and acres being leveled every minute, who knows what will be left for us to work with?
 

Faing

Arachnoknight
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Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Messages
162
It's either avicularia urticans or avicularia sp. peru purple. Stunning specimen by the way.I have 95% of all the avicularia sp. on the market. Even as adults sometimes you can't tell, but this should help. TRUE avicularia urticans have a greenish tint to them. As he/she gets bigger I will be able to tell you for sure or I can find out for you. :)

In my opinion, the invert hobby needs to get rid of common names! The Germans need to stop making two or three common names for the same species, Lastly we need to stop taking inverts from the wild so often.( I understand different bloodlines are good, but we're helping the demise of some species.....
Yeah I'm between A. urticans and sp. peru purple. Common names make things frustrating more often than not. We shall see, thanks!

My 'thought' is it's an A urtcians. It's last molt was when it developed pink toes and for the first few days after the molt it was a noticeable green tint. Kinda fascinating. Didn't manage any pics though.

---------- Post added 08-03-2014 at 08:41 PM ----------

Most zoos you hear about focus saving animals like tigers, pandas, etc. With all the politicians coming out with these legislatures and bans it does make me nervous to see in the future how keeping 'exotic' animals is going to be. The Lacey Act and the Dangerous Wild Animals Act in WV are just 2 examples that come to mind.
 
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