What is this...

Mikey_G.Rosea

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I found this dead spider in my driveway today up here in Placerville, CA. Northern Cali.

It's about 2 1/4" in length and a lightish brown/gray. I think it's a male because of how small it's abdomen is and how long its legs are compared to the size of it's body.

I have seen these in the past, i don't exactly know if it's a T or just a radioactive wolf spider...
:?

Here's a couple pics!




 

Malhavoc's

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would it be possible for you to catch a live specimen and send it to me? lol. it'd help me in figuring out if its a t or not. I haven't encountered anything like it down here in south cal. and califoriania only has on tarantula species as far as I know
 

jsloan

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The pictures aren't all that clear, but I think I can see a second pair of book lungs in that picture of the spider's underside. Therefore, it is not a wolf spider, which only has one pair of book lungs. Also, I can see a spur on each of the 1st legs, which male mygalomorphs use to hold the fangs of the female while mating. Probably a trap door spider, possibly Antrodeatus sp.

John Sloan
 

Malhavoc's

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jsloan said:
The pictures aren't all that clear, but I think I can see a second pair of book lungs in that picture of the spider's underside. Therefore, it is not a wolf spider, which only has one pair of book lungs. Also, I can see a spur on each of the 1st legs, which male mygalomorphs use to hold the fangs of the female while mating. Probably a trap door spider, possibly Antrodeatus sp.

John Sloan


How do you derive a trapdoor. I agree with the myglomorph but not trapdoor I thought they were typicaly hairless this one is not. nor does it have the bulldogstyle of a trapdor. perhaps some species of lycosea?
 

jsloan

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Malhavoc's said:
How do you derive a trapdoor. I agree with the myglomorph but not trapdoor I thought they were typicaly hairless this one is not. nor does it have the bulldogstyle of a trapdor. perhaps some species of lycosea?
Well, the pictures are out of focus so it's hard to tell one way or another. It just looked similar to a trap door spider I once had, which had the same body shape and was also brown. I don't see as much hair as you do, but again it's impossible to tell for sure from the pictures. Maybe you're right, but it's hard to see. Maybe the original poster could take some sharper ones?

I'm not familiar with "lycosea" and couldn't find anything on it through google. Could you tell me something about it?

John Sloan
 

conipto

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Definately a Mygale. Probably a mature male Aphonopelma, given the size and your locale.

Bill
 

Malhavoc's

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jsloan said:
Well, the pictures are out of focus so it's hard to tell one way or another. It just looked similar to a trap door spider I once had, which had the same body shape and was also brown. I don't see as much hair as you do, but again it's impossible to tell for sure from the pictures. Maybe you're right, but it's hard to see. Maybe the original poster could take some sharper ones?

I'm not familiar with "lycosea" and couldn't find anything on it through google. Could you tell me something about it?

John Sloan

I probably spelled it wrong. and am using out of date material but they were originaly called 'tarantuals' before What we are fimilliar with Hopefully some one can enlighten me until I find the book I read it from [not only can I not spell but I cant organize :p] anyway they grow quiet large and are simmiliar to wolf spiders. And the only reason I think this is because of its size. and that its a mygal. I compared it to my current trapdoors both black and red and it doesnt posses the bulldog leg structure. I'd have to second a aphonopelma of some species but was only aware of one species of tarantula found in california and it grew larger then 2 inches..
 

JPD

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My bet is Lycosidae of some sort. The give away....look at the eye structure in the last picture. Wolf Spiders in the genus Schizolycosa can get quite large and are native to your area.
 

Mikey_G.Rosea

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Sorry i haven't really replied. I cought one about 4 years ago...it was a crazy mofo! Fast and aggressive. I haven't really seen any around since then. The one i cought when it was alive was a lot bigger than this one (probably 3.5" rear leg to front leg) and a lot more great and hairy. It was in a burrow and i dug it out to keep it but let it go the next day (kinda useless eh lol). Well it "died" (i think anyway) from something on it's abdomen ( a large black lumpy area) and the body i disposed of in the garbage because it started to crumble away.

About the pics, i have an old old digi camera that i took those with, i would get better pics but my mom had her digi with her when she went out horseback riding that day, so sorry about the horrible pics! :(
 

Mendi

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conipto said:
Definately a Mygale. Probably a mature male Aphonopelma, given the size and your locale.

Bill

Yeah, looks very much like a mature male Aphonopelma to me as well. I had a A.chalcodes mature out last summer that was small and looked a lot like this one. Though I doubt this is a chalcodes. The male though was hardly half the size of this mature female, RIP


As far as it being a Lycosa, or a Wolf spider, not one. They are true spiders and don't get the mating spurs nor have booklung
 
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MizM

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California's native species:
Aphonopelma brunnius Chamberlin San Mateo Co., Santa Clara Co. Aphonopelma brunnius Chamberlin 1940, p.11 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Aphonopelma californica (Ausserer) San Diego Co. (,San Diego area.) Eurypelma californica Ausserer 1871, p.214 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom dub
Aphonopelma clarum Chamberlin Los Angeles Co. ( nr Claremont) Aphonopelma clarum Chamberlin 1940, p. 10 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma cratium Chamberlin Los Angeles Co. Aphonopelma cratius Chamberlin 1940, p.18 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma cryptheum Chamberlin Los Angeles Co. Aphonopelma cryptheus Chamberlin 1940, p.16 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma eutylenum Chamberlin San Diego Co., north to Kern Co. Aphonopelma eutylenum Chamberlin 1940, p.9 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Aphonopelma iodius (Chamberlin & Ivie) Riverside Co, San Bernardino Co,. Kern Co., Inyo Co. Delopelma iodius Chamberlin & Ivie 1939 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma joshua Prentice SanBernardino Co., Riverside Co. Aphonopelma joshua Prentice 1997 * *
Aphonopelma leiogaster (Doleschall) CaIifornia Eurypelma leiogaster Doleschall in Ausserer. 1871, p. 214 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom dub
Aphonopelma marxi (Simon ) San Bernardino Co. (S. Bernardino Mts.) Eurypelma marxi Simon 1891a,p.324 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Chamberlin, 1940, p.26 Tom Prentice tells me that A. marxi is in fact unknown from CA
Aphonopelma mojavae Prentice San Bernardio Co, Kern Co., Inyo Co., Los Angeles Co Aphopelma mojavae Prentice 1997 * *
Aphonopelma phanum Chamberlin Orange Co. (Laguna Beach) Aphonopelma phanus Chamberlin 1940, p.24 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma radinum (Chamberlin & Ivie) Los Angeles Co. (Manhattan, Beach) Delopelma radinum Chamberlin & Ivie 1939a, p.4 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Chamberlin, 1940, p. 30 *
Aphonopelma reversum Chamberlin Orange Co., Riverside Co, San Diego Co. Aphonopelma reversum Chamberlin 1940, p.8 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma rileyi (Marx) Santa Barbara Co. (Santa Barbara) Eurypelma rileyi Marx 1888, p.117 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom dub
Aphonopelma rusticum (Simon.) Alameda Co. (Berkeley) Eurypelma rusticum Simon I891b, p. 323 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Chamberlin 1940, p. 14 *
Aphonopelma steindachneri (Ausserer) San Diego Co. (San Diego) Eurypelma steindachneri Ausserer 1875, p.199 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Simon, E., 1891a, p.322 *
Avicularia californica Banks San Diego Co Avicularia caIifornica Banks 1906, p. 95 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom. dub., spiders correctly placed in Avicularia should not occur in California
Last Updated on 14 Aug 2003
Spiders of California
email Steve Lew

The "Tom Prentice" referenced above is THE expert on California species. He's right here at University of California Riverside. You can reach him at (909)787-4733 or e-mail him at tom.prentice@ucr.edu

He's a great guy and extremely eager to help, but he MAY talk your ear off! He LOVES to talk Theraphosidae!! Best of luck with your i.d.
 

jsloan

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Mikey_G.Rosea said:
About the pics, i have an old old digi camera that i took those with, i would get better pics but my mom had her digi with her when she went out horseback riding that day, so sorry about the horrible pics! :(
No problem; but, maybe you can clarify for us how "hairy" is the spider in the pictures? Is most of the brown we see in the pictures just a brown exoskeleton and relative few hairs, or is the brown color a dense layer of hairs we're seeing?

Thanks,

John Sloan
 

nzcookie

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it looks a lot like a mature male trapdoor to me? not sure of the specifics, they would vary on where you are. despite what some say many trapdoors actually have a dense layer of hair as this one does and many do in my area :)
 

pitbulllady

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Its a male Calisoga longitarsus lol.
You beat me to it! I admit reading through the posts to see if anyone actually suggested that species, though, before posting, but yes, you nailed it. I'm really surprised that no one did so before you did.
Incidentally, guys, mature male Lycosids(Wolf Spiders)do NOT have tibial spurs on their first pair of legs, since the females' chelicerae don't function in an up-and-down vertical plane. That's a Mygalamorph thing. You can clearly see the tibial spurs on this specimen.

pitbulllady
 

Ciphor

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06-27-2004

You guys are about 8 years late on this one lol.
 

JohnDapiaoen

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whoa didn't see that!, darn you Evanator1996! trickin' me into posting on old threads lol jk. I should really pay attention more.
 
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