"usambara" A bad name...?

[sunnymarcie]

I am going to be purchasing a few of these T's at the next show.
Do any of you have pictures of the Usambara as a tiny sling?
Post them for me please.

I was reading a page over at the ATS site, it said that
"Usambara" was not the correct common name.........?

So, what is the proper latin name?
P. Murinus sp....?
Pterinochilus sp. ?

HELP!

I want to be sure of what I am getting.

I was only able to find a photo of a larger T, no sling pix
And I have seen some of your pix.

And my last Q for now, do they stay orange? The color was what
drew me to them.~:0)

[Lopez]

Last I heard, it was just Pterinochilus sp. Sometimes it's called a red or orange "phase" of P murinus, some people say it's P mammilatus, some say it's either, neither or both

I'm sticking with Pterinochilus sp. myself

Can't really help you on the sling front, I'm pretty sure as really young ones they are dark brown and chunky.

Oh, and yes, they stay a lovely bright orange forever

[Ravnos]

Seems to me that most common names are pretty incorrect anyway. I generally refer to mine as P. murinus. I think its largely personal preference, and the species is so prevalent, anyone you talk to will probably know what you mean.

Rav

[rknralf]

With the latest revision of Pterinochilus, the "Usambara" was officially classified as Pterinocilus murinus.
There were other revisions as well. If you want to see the revision paper, I believe it is at the American Tarantula Society site.

[skinheaddave]

Based on the revision that rknralf mentioned, I have been calling mine P.murinus recently. Not that the issue is actualy resolved, as the nature of revisions is that they never stop. As for the common name "Usumbara" being good, I think it is as good as any. It is pretty consistently used, isn't intentionaly misleading and describes the region from whence they come.

What I do dislike is the recent trend towards "Orange Bitey Thing." I much prefer "P-terror"

Cheers,
Dave

[sunnymarcie]

"P-terror" =D "Orange bitey thing"
We all know it's the same T.

Both names seem to apply.

[Action Jackson]

I can't get you a pic of my Usumbar spiderling (too elusive to capture on film), but I'll tell you that mine is more or less black with a distinct orange tint on the abdomen.

[Ravnos]

Here's a pic of my usum. sling. He's so small even my macro lens has a problem with focusing on him, but you can sort of see the orange butt to get the point.



Rav

[DiStUrBeD-OnE]

When is it to where they get fully orange? I got my usumbara at about 2".. and ive only seen new new slings, and i havnt seen any pics inbetween



Ian

[LPacker79]

When is it to where they get fully orange?

I got mine at 3/4" and it was orange then. Here's a pic of it at an inch.



Leanne

[sunnymarcie]

Ok a difference in color question makes me wonder.......
Is there a difference in color male vs. female?
Or are there just different phases of color?

The color was the first thing that caught my eye, I do
not want anymore plain brown T's

[Lopez]

Difference in colour is apparently geographical. The males and the females are both the same basic colour and markings.
I've got the 2 common versions of P murinus : the Usambara, and the Mombasa Golden Starburst.

Here's the Golden Starburst:



And here's the Usambara:




Pretty unmistakable aren't they?

[Wade]

Having been an ATS member for awhile, I think I have a fair understanding of their policy regarding comon names. It goes something like this:

The American Arachnological Society (Different group from the ATS) publishes a common name list for arachnids (not just spiders). Not all species have a common name, generally only those that are conspicious and familliar enough to warrant it. This list is mainly for North American species, but they also include about 80 or so tarantula species that are common in the pet trade. They have a list of rules, such as how many words a common name can have (which is why some common names have words combined) and what words can be used (you do not see the name "earthtiger" used anywhere). No species can have more than one common name, and only a species that has been scietifically described and named can have a common name.

So, before the spider known as "Usambara" was decreed to be P. murinus, it was known as Pterinochilus sp., which (according to AAS rules) cannot have an "official" common name. When it became official that it was a color variant of P. murinus (Mombasa golden starburst tarantula), it's common name became the same, even though they're not "golden". I'm surprised they haven't dropped the "golden" from the official name, maybe they will eventually.

The correct way to list this spider would probably be something like "P. murinus, orange variant" or something like that. The "Usambara" name was created by the pet trade and is probably not going anywhere as it is firmly entrenched in the minds of most hobbyists. That's OK, since everybody pretty much knows what we're talking about. It is my habit to use quotes whenever using this or any other dubious (but stubborn) common name.

Other interesting tidbits about the AAS list: The name "birdeater" only appears in the name of T. blondi, the Goliath birdeater tarantula, while the name "baboon" only appears in the name for C. crawshayi the king baboon.

The ATS connection: The ATS publishes the tarantula and scorpion portions of the AAS in every issue of the Forum (Dr. Breene is on the common name comittee for the AAS in addion to running the ATS). Also, the entire AAS common names list can be downloaded for free from the ATS website.

In the end, importers, dealers, and pet stores are going to call their spiders whatever they feel like. A few do actually pay attention to the AAS list, but most don't. Also, new species are coming into the hobby all the time, and the AAS can't really keep up with the demand for new common names, so by the time they get around to it, there will be some other entrenched pet trade name attached to it instead. Although having standardized common names would be sweet, it's not likley to be a substitute for knowing the latin as well.

Wade

[XOskeletonRED]

Here's a link to my Orange variant Pterinochilus murinus a little while back. This T measures in at a little under 4.5 inches.


adios,
edw.

I'm so proud of my little one. I couldn't allow myself to downsize the pics enough to post them to this site cause they were just too nice as was, even though one did catch a glare on the glass.

http://centralpets.com/pages/photopa..._TAR5690.shtml

The pics of mine are the second two and can be shown in high res if the magnif glass button is hit. =D

[MizM]

THIS IS MY MYSTERY T!!!!!!!!

Originally posted by Lopez
Difference in colour is apparently geographical. The males and the females are both the same basic colour and markings.
I've got the 2 common versions of P murinus : the Usambara, and the Mombasa Golden Starburst.

Here's the Golden Starburst:

I guess I've got both versions now too!!!!! Here's my gorgeous orange girl: