Antilles pinktoe tarantula

Avicularia versicolor, juvenile animal

Avicularia ( sometimes called in German " Martinique - tree tarantula " ) versicolor is a tree-dwelling Vogelspinnenart from Guadeloupe and Martinique. This species was described in 1837 by Baron Charles Athanasie Walckenaer. The species name is derived from the variously colored body parts.

Features

The animals have a black ground color. On the opisthosoma and the extremities they have a purplish to reddish hair. The carapace is contrast colored shimmering green. The colors are different depending on the lighting to advantage. The females are 6 inches long (measured from the Beißklauen to the spinnerets ). The males remain smaller. The nymphs are colored differently. You have a blue base color and the opisthosoma has a wasp -like drawing. It runs a dark strip vertically in the direction spinnerets. From this spring stripes on each side more stripes running down and become wider. From the 5th to 6th nymph stage, the change of color of the pups begin. With each molt they resemble more the adult animal.

Behavior

Avicularia versicolor is an arboreal tarantula. She lives in a living dream, she invests in several meters height in forks of branches, knots, leaves or bark furrows. When threatened, the spider tries to escape or she reaches the supposed attacker occupied with stinging hairs Opisthosoma meet or bombarding the attacker with feces. They rarely come back to their Beißklauen to fight back.

The breeding of animals in captivity is successful. The pairing is peaceful in general. The females build up to eight weeks later a cocoon. This includes about 80 to 150 eggs on average. In young females, there are 50 to 80 and in older females, there are 200 to 300 eggs. The young leave after about eight weeks the cocoon.

A. versicolor, juvenile animal in transition to adult coloration ( 7 -eating skin)

A. versicolor, juvenile animal, freshly skinned ( 9 -eating skin)

A. versicolor in Martinique