I finally found one!

theconmacieist · Mar 31, 2015

I have a few acres and I have been searching high and low for local mygalomorphs ever since I became interested in tarantulas. I was convinced that there were some on property and last year I found my first mygalomorph, a wandering male purseweb spider. I was thrilled but because he was a mature male I sent him on his way. I was determined to find a nice female because I read that where there are males there are females. I got frustrated more than a few times but today I found my first tube attached to a tree. I was really shocked. After hours of searching I found one. It was a big tube from a mature spider. I slowly uncovered it but....nothing. :cry: I then looked close around the base of the tree and out of pure luck I find this very tiny little guy. I am pretty happy overall, even if I'll never get to see it inside it's web. :biggrin:

Biollantefan54 · Mar 31, 2015

AWESOME!!! I love these guys! I want to find some here so bad! I am sure we have them here, can you post pics of the woods you found them in?

theconmacieist · Apr 1, 2015

I will snap some pictures of the location I found the MM and the sling at some point today.

pannaking22 · Apr 1, 2015

That's so cool! Congrats on a great find!

Biollantefan54 · Apr 1, 2015

I am so jealous lol

theconmacieist · Apr 1, 2015

I didn't have time for a pic today. I have a lot going on...including building a chicken coop before the chicks outgrow their brooder haha. I will get one up here. The large tube was about 3 yards from a semi-permanent water source at the base of a blue ironwood that had a strange root flare...angle was very steep around 90 degrees. The soil was very fluffy, lightly damp and filled tons of fibrous honeysuckle roots for the first inch. After that I hit a much wetter clay heavy soil.

Galapoheros · Apr 1, 2015

I wouldn't be surprised if there are 100s on your property. I didn't know I had such a thing on my prop for several years, I accidentally rubbed my hand over an area, I heard a hollow paper kind of sound, pretty big female home there. I found several since, I know where several are in my yard now.

theconmacieist · Apr 2, 2015

Galapoheros said:
I wouldn't be surprised if there are 100s on your property.

:biggrin: That is what I'm thinking too! There is obviously a breeding population. I have checked a heck of a lot of trees and only found the one web. I did read that pursewebs don't always lean them on trees though. Was the big female you found in the leaves against a tree?
Another thought is that it is just warming up nice here I wonder if the snow tears the webs off the trees in the winter and they haven't really come out of diapause yet to make a new web or something...I am monitoring the tree I found the sling at to see if a female indeed was there, buried underground with her slings.

Draketeeth · Apr 2, 2015

wow it is tiny! I didn't realize they started out so small! That's really neat you managed to even it a picture of it, my camera would have mocked me for the effort. Good luck to you and your new baby

What do you feed it at that size?

I remember seeing an adult one of these once, may have been a male since it was out wandering in the middle of a grassy area. I was at girls' camp and we were at flag ceremony, so you can imagine the sheer level of screaming involved when this larger than average spider strolls through the sea of ankles. Wanted to take it home so bad, but really didn't know anything about them at that point and didn't have a container to hold it, so I took it over to the bushes instead where it would be safer. The looks I got for picking up that "giant thing" . . . bwhahaha.

theconmacieist · Apr 3, 2015

Last year I found the MM right at the edge of my sidewalk.

This is on the other side of the property, where I found the sling and webbing.

This is my future hunting spot. I am looking to find a species of trapdoor on these sandy banks.

That is a good story Draketeeth. Right now I am offering flightless fruit flies. The sling burrowed to the bottom of it's vial so I probably won't be seeing it for a long time.

Biollantefan54 · Apr 3, 2015

Thank you for the habitat pictures! Next time you go hunting, you should bring something to snap some pictures if you find more. Good luck finding more!

loxoscelesfear · Apr 3, 2015

search for Antrodiaetus on steep banks w/ moss or exposed soil. Look for their little black legs sticking out of pencil -size burrows. Can't believe how small the purse-web is, no wonder I can't find one.

Biollantefan54 · Apr 3, 2015

I found my Antrodiaetus in GA. It was about 7 feet from a creek on a clay bank. Little 'crack' in the wet clay.

theconmacieist · Apr 3, 2015

loxoscelesfear said:
search for Antrodiaetus on steep banks w/ moss or exposed soil. Look for their little black legs sticking out of pencil -size burrows. Can't believe how small the purse-web is, no wonder I can't find one.

Biollantefan54 said:
I found my Antrodiaetus in GA. It was about 7 feet from a creek on a clay bank. Little 'crack' in the wet clay.

Some nice info here. I will definitely be putting it to good use.

Ambly · Apr 3, 2015

wow, nice tiny purseweb! I've only found pursewebs on the ground or under bark here in VA, horizontal to the ground, not built up and down... but maybe they are evading me. I'm better with finding trappies and Antrodiaetus (which is easy as hell at night) than pursewebs.

theconmacieist · Apr 3, 2015

Ambly said:
wow, nice tiny purseweb! I've only found pursewebs on the ground or under bark here in VA, horizontal to the ground, not built up and down... but maybe they are evading me. I'm better with finding trappies and Antrodiaetus (which is easy as hell at night) than pursewebs.

Thanks! It's interesting that you haven't been finding them attached to a tree. From the pictures that I've seen the horizontal tubes are covered with debris and almost indistinguishable from leaf litter. Maybe I can find a male to lead me to a burrow. Very cool to hear trapdoors being so abundant in V.A.

Biollantefan54 · Apr 3, 2015

Yeah, there are different species that make different tubes. Being that they are in FL, and VA...I think it is a good guess I can find them here too. I am going to look tomorrow. Really like those habitat pictures lol!

theconmacieist · Apr 3, 2015

Now is the time! Isn't my girlfriend awesome she calls me on the phone and says,"Hey I found one of those weird spiders outside."
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin: I picture it saying, "So I heard you liked pursewebs.." This is right in my driveway again.

7:30 in the fading light.

Biollantefan54 · Apr 3, 2015

Wow!! That is awesome, I am serious about when you go hunting, take lots of pictures lol! I love this thread!

theconmacieist · Apr 3, 2015

Biollantefan54 said:
Wow!! That is awesome, I am serious about when you go hunting, take lots of pictures lol! I love this thread!

This wasn't so much a hunt really. I just walked down my sidewalk. It wasn't more than 10 feet from the male found last year.
In nature(driveway)

I finally found one!

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