Brachypelma Baumgarteni: Mexican Orange Beauty

Midwest Art

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
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280
Mexican Orange Beauty (Brachypelma baumgarteni) Brachyhpelma species said to be natives of the Michoacan regions of Mexico. The subject of much discussion as some are of the opinion that they are a B. smithi/B. boehmi hybrid. This is a pic of a fresh shed subadult 3" male. No debates, it's a beautiful spider.

N-Joy
Art
 
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conipto

ArachnoPrincess
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Sep 27, 2002
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1,256
Whatever it is, you're right.. it's a beauty :)

I can kinda imagine the boehmei/smithi argument, looking at the coloration. Has anyone succesfully bred them yet?

Bill
 

Midwest Art

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 4, 2002
Messages
280
B. baumgarteni

I watched Bryant Capiz breed them in the mid 1990's. The one pictured was purchased as a sling 3 years ago. I haven't heard of any more available since. I know of a few people with adult females.

N-Joy
Art
 

dennis

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
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Jan 2, 2003
Messages
770
I just mailed Rick West about this a couple of days ago. Actually it was about the B. anitha, but that is also a hybrid between emilia and boehmei ... iirc.
Here's what Rick told me about it:

Contrary to popular believe amongst tarantula dealers and hobbyists,
(mainly to excel sales of 'different looking' Brachypelma spp.), Brachypelma
annitha and B. hamorii are NOT valid species but merely polymorphic color
variants of Brachypelma smithi. B. baumgarteni are true 'natural hybrids'
that result matings in the sympatric overlap of B. smithi and B. boehmei.
These species were all described by non-taxonomic enthusiasts in non-peer
reviewed, pet trade oriented, journals who did no field work nor adequate
sampling.
I, along with Mexican arachnologists, have seen MANY examples of
these color morphs reared from the same eggsac as well.
I hope this helps explain things to you a little clearer.
Rick C. West
Dennis
 

Tangled WWWeb

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 4, 2002
Messages
706
I recently purchased 2 sub-adult spiders labeled as B. smithi x B. boehmei hybrids from another hobbyist. He says that he got them as tiny slings, and the person he got them from actually bred the adults. They look just like small specimens of every B. baumgarteni pic I have ever seen. The quote from Rick West certainly makes the picture even clearer for me. I will try to post some pics of mine in a couple days.
 
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