#132 - SPIDER TALK

I'm like an STD that just lingers ... chickenpox that becomes shingles, an itch that becomes a puss-oozing boil. I just won't go the fuck away.

The 159 posts of KMBHS have 33,352 page views. That's an average of 200 per post. More recent numbers are dismal, but that's my own fault as my frequency of blogging here has diminished. By contrast, my new Triggercontrol Tactical blog has 1343 page views for 11 posts. 122 per.

I don't require a lot of feedback. I enjoy comments, but other than Apple they are few and far between. I blog for myself. I like to hear myself type. I'm a quiet guy, even anti-social, but have diarrhea of the fingers. So this has always been about me.

But feedback does encourage, and I just got some praise that was all I needed to post again, not even an hour after a post that may have seemed like a farewell. The person with the kind words saw my post about the blog on Instagram despite following only six people and having no posts or followers of his own. He commented that he doesn't typically read blogs, but "KMBHS blog is kick ass, whether you are talking about tarantulas or going on rants it's just an awesome read". Cheers mate. Just for you, Cody, I will post something–on topic–here.


Here is some SPIDER Talk: This is a special blog version of the article I co-authored with Tom Patterson for the Journal of the British Tarantula Society 31(1). I'll add only a few of the articles images here and only my own. Thus, the figure numbers in the original article are irrelevant for this version and have been deleted. Only BTS Members with access to the print Journal or PDF version can enjoy the many beautiful photos Tom and I shared with this article.

I'll remind you that this is just one example of the quality content that our BTS publications enjoy, and urge you once more to consider membership. If money is tight just get a digital membership and download the Journals and Newsletters as PDF.

By the way, you can download an abridged list of my publications here.

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Huntsman Spiders of the genus Heteropoda (Sparassidae) in Captivity

Text and images by Michael Jacobi & Tom Patterson

Introduction

Who doesn’t love spiders that can seemingly teleport? In the blink of an eye, most keepers of huntsman spiders have had the experience of a blurry streak of spider vacating its enclosure and appearing seconds later in the opposite corner of the room or beyond. Human reflexes are no match for containing the flurry of a spirited spider at hyper speed. Who isn’t enchanted by the myriad of colours and patterns adorning the crab-like resting pose of many sparassids? One was even named after superstar David Bowie due to having facial makeup that would make the king of glam rock blush. The popular name for these spiders itself conjures images of a master marauder. Huntsman. Stalker, assailant, attacker. Those whose arachnocultural pursuits tend towards the predatory tarantula spiders may find spiders that snare their prey in silken traps less appealing, but the fast and efficient assault of the huntsman spider is certain to captivate.

The family Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872 consists of 85 genera. This article will limit itself to Heteropoda Latreille, 1804, which contains an astonishing 197 species (World Spider Catalog, 2015), and a tome could be devoted to this genus alone. However, Heteropoda isn’t even the largest genus of Sparassidae. Its cousin, Olios, is found worldwide and currently is home to 244 species. The evolutionary success of the huntsman spiders is astounding.

Heteropoda is Asian and Australasian in distribution, but the cosmotropical H. venatoria has been introduced elsewhere. We believe that the spider marketed as “Heteropoda sp. Cameroon Giant” is a large form of H. venatoria. The genus does not naturally occur in Africa. In the United States, H. venatoria populations are succeeding in subtropical areas of Florida, Texas, and California, and in some coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina. Three species currently listed as Heteropoda (World Spider Catalog, 2015) from South America (two from Colombia and one from Peru) are certainly misidentified and misplaced. One of the Colombian species, H. camelia, has already been treated as misplaced by Jäger, 2014.

Clearly tackling a genus so diverse and extensive is a daunting task. In this article we wish to just highlight a handful of Heteropoda species and undescribed forms that we have worked with in captivity and treat you to some stunning images that illustrate the beauty of these huntsman spiders. We will provide some tips and tricks helpful in maintaining and breeding these amazing spiders in the terrarium while providing some brief comments on their natural history.

Natural History Notes

With such a large genus occurring from Afghanistan through the Indian subcontinent, Asia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Borneo, Australasia, the Pacific Islands and beyond, it is no surprise that Heteropoda fills many niches from caves to rainforest canopy. Throughout its tropical distribution it has acquired a number of vernacular names, and, in English, they are sometimes referred to as crab spiders (not to be confused with the “real” crab spiders of the family Thomisidae) due to their crab-like habitus, and also as cane spiders, banana spiders and, of course, huntsman spiders. They are active predators that possess potent venom that is effective against their prey (in addition to insects they are known to consume scorpions and even bats), but none are thought to be dangerous to humans. Among their interesting traits at least one species has the ability to produce sound without the stridulatory organs used in some theraphosid spiders (Rovner, 1980). During its courtship behaviour, a male Heteropoda venatoria can create a faintly audible buzz or hum by the vibration of its long legs while its feet (tarsi) remain in contact with the substrate.

Challenges in Husbandry

The biggest hurdle to overcome when maintaining Heteropoda and other sparassids is their blinding speed and how quickly a disturbance can initiate a flight response that results in an escaped spider. There are some recommended protocols that should be used to contain their apparent “teleportation”. An adult that is housed in a spacious and well-planted natural terrarium should be able to be offered food and have routine maintenance tasks performed without any difficulty. You just have to ensure that you gently open the terrarium and keep disturbance to a minimum. However, spiderlings and juveniles that are being reared in smaller containers like vials or gallon jars present the greater problem. The senior author always, without fail, opens these containers only inside of a large tub that acts as a secondary containment enclosure should the spider launch itself to freedom. More often than not, this larger tub is placed on the floor of a shower stall that has white walls. The shower stall now acts as a third level of containment. Of course, catch cups or jars are always at the ready, as are paintbrushes and rubber-tipped forceps that can be used to direct the spider’s route of travel. Whenever possible the containment vessels should be white, smooth and free of crevices or hiding places. The white background is essential for quickly finding escapees before they “teleport” meters away. We cannot stress enough how a single distraction that breaks eye contact and a huntsman spider can, presto, vanish. All escape routes must be eliminated or managed.

Another difficulty presented in raising young Heteropoda is that they require small food that is provided more often than tarantula keepers are accustomed to. Spiderlings should be fed almost daily with several times each week being a minimum frequency. Newly hatched (pinhead) crickets are preferred as these can be gut-loaded with quality feed for maximum nutrition value before being offered as prey. Flightless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster and then the larger D. hydei) can be used, and they certainly are easy and economical to culture. However, if they are cultured using “old school” potato flake and powdered sugar mixes they provide minimal nutrition to their predators. Modern fruit fly media used by dart frog keepers is preferred, and the best media is very nutritious and, thus, the flies are healthy meals for your spiders. We also recommend dusting the flies with a supplement. This serves two purposes: at the minimum it limits fly movement so they are easier for you to contain during feeding and easier for the spiders to immediately capture, and it may even provide increased nutritional value. The latter is debatable, and perhaps doubtful based on how spiders feed, but it certainly can’t hurt. The senior author uses Repashy SuperVite micro-fine vitamin supplement as do other sparassid keepers and breeders (e.g., Frank Somma, pers. comm.). The fruit fly media used is Josh’s Frogs special blend, but we are sure there is similar vitamin-packed fly media available in the UK and Europe.

Frank Somma (pers. comm.) has successfully raised Heteropoda spiderlings communally in an enclosure that includes a small fruit fly culture that has a hole that allows the flies to escape so that the baby huntsman spiders can feed at will. Cannibalisation will be experienced in any group enclosures, but this will reduce the number of weak spiderlings and, with food being abundant, a method like Frank’s will result in vigorous young that grow quickly.

An additional difficulty is that young sparassids often require elevated humidity that would be ill advised for most tarantula species. Stagnant, wet conditions will kill tarantulas and sparassids alike, but whereas we preach “ventilate, ventilate, ventilate!” and feel that poor ventilation kills most tarantula spiderlings, we are known to raise Heteropoda spiderlings in large vials without any ventilation. The senior author has used 50-dram clear styrene vials (inside height: 4.25 in or 10.8 cm; inside diameter: 1.875 in or 4.763 cm) without any ventilation holes in the lids to raise baby huntsman spiders. This prevents fruit fly prey from escaping and keeps in essential moisture. However, feeding every other day ensures that there is plenty of fresh air exchange (and more frequent openings of the vial may be performed as necessary) and a careful balance is achieved between “too wet” and “too dry” This is the result of experience and frequent attention to the moisture cycle.

Sparassid Enclosures

Young huntsman spiders are easily raised in a series of progressively larger cups familiar to all arachnoculturists. An adult huntsman spider can be housed in a vertically oriented 10-gallon aquarium with a polycarbonate front. What would have been the top opening is now the front-facing opening, and this is typically covered a clear acrylic or polycarbonate panel that is hinged at the bottom third and has one or more screen vents set into round holes. This style of terrarium is popular among dart frog keepers and readily adaptable to arachnoculture. They also will fare well in translucent plastic storage containers that have been appropriately ventilated. A very simple and effective enclosure can be created with one of these inexpensive containers with the addition of some damp substrate and a piece of cork bark. The addition of a length of silk or plastic plant may be aesthetically pleasing, but the easier you make it for your huntsman spider to hide the greater your chance of not knowing where it is when you take off the lid to offer food. Remember that whole teleportation thing?

An Overview of Courtship, Mating and Reproduction

Sparassid spiders typically have a lengthy courtship and the male is rarely attacked after mating. In fact, many huntsman spiders are found to live together in large colonies. The female Heteropoda sp. produces a flat, oval egg sac of white papery silk containing up to 200 eggs. Some large females, particularly in captivity, may produce even larger sacs. She then places it under bark or a rock and stands guard over it, without eating, for about three weeks. Some species instead protectively carry their egg sac beneath their bodies (e.g., H. venatoria). When nesting or guarding her egg sac the female can be quite aggressive, and will often rear up in a threat/defensive display if provoked.

Notes on Breeding

A simple breeding arena (aka “chamber”) can be created from a large storage container that includes a large slab of cork bark to create a “dance floor” for the mating pair and has enough room to place the female’s enclosure, or perhaps that of both male and female. The senior author uses a similar technique to pair Poecilotheria and other tarantula spiders.

The concept behind a breeding chamber is to provide a large and neutral area for the introduction of males and females. A large storage tub can easily contain both a cereal container style enclosure housing a female and a gallon jar holding a male. Both lids can be left on for a few days and the pair will become aware of each other via pheromones and, in the case of theraphosids, by courtship tapping. For sparassid spiders the junior author uses the procedure described here.

Once the female’s enclosure is placed in the breeding chamber the male is “gently” introduced.  In most cases, the lid is left on the female’s enclosure until the male has found a place within the chamber to settle down and get comfortable. This reduces the risk of a nervous male bolting right into an unsuspecting female’s container and eliciting a feeding response from her. Once the male has become accustomed to the breeding chamber and found a place to rest, the lid of the female’s enclosure is carefully removed and the lid that covers the breeding chamber is securely fastened. Copulation is rarely observed, and males generally don't begin courtship ritual until the room has been dark for some time. The following day the male is removed and placed back into his enclosure. Experience has shown that a single night of cohabitation will result in mating and multiple pairings are unnecessary.  

Females are heavily fed during the weeks after mating to prepare them for egg sac production. About three weeks after the female produces her sac, her enclosure is moved into a larger airtight container in anticipation of a couple hundred fast-moving huntsman spiderlings escaping the airs of the adult female’s enclosure. On some occasions, the sac is pulled and incubated in a 32 oz. (one liter) cup with some damp peat moss or coco fiber on the bottom. Once the spiderlings hatch and are ready to be separated, rehousing them into individual vials still needs to be done over a larger bin with a tight fitting lid, as the babies will start to scatter once the lid of the incubator cup is removed. Only as many spiderlings as can be reasonably cared for are separated into vials. Others are traded to breeder friends or offered for sale. Any remaining spiderlings are left in the incubator cup to cull each other, and then the largest and strongest surviving ones are eventually separated from there. That may sound cruel, but is the reality of hatching hundreds to thousands baby sparassids each year. Raising spiderlings of huntsman or wandering spiders is more time consuming and labor intensive than raising young tarantulas. They require more frequent feedings, require more caution during feeding to prevent escapes and demand small prey that presents its own problems.

Some Popular Species

Heteropoda boiei (Doleschall, 1859)

This is a giant species of Heteropoda with females reaching a body length of 37 mm [1.5 in]. Known from Singapore, Malaysia, Sumatra, Java and Brunei, it is largely arboreal and normally found on rainforest tree trunks.

Heteropoda davidbowie Jäger, 2008

There is perhaps no huntsman spider more spectacular than Heteropoda davidbowie. This species is known from Thailand (Yala), Malaysia (Padang), Singapore and Indonesia (Sumatra) and was given the rock star legend's name by Jäger in 2008. Females may vary from grayish-brown to orange. Males have a median longitudinal reddish line that runs from the eyes to the middle of the abdomen.

Heteropoda davidbowie, penultimate male

Heteropoda lunula (Doleschall, 1857)

As splendid and spectacular as H. davidbowie is, it could be argued that no Heteropoda species is more gorgeous than H. lunula. Doleschall described the species as Olios lunula in 1857. It is known from India to Vietnam, Malaysia, Java, Sumatra and Borneo. Taxonomically, it was transferred to many different genera and species over the years until Jäger reestablished called it Heteropoda lunula in 2002.

Heteropoda lunula

Heteropoda tetrica Thorell, 1897

This species is primarily a creature of the forest floor, but can also be found at the bottom of tree trunks and among low branches. It is a large species that is widespread in Southeast Asia. It is highly variable in appearance, but is popularly known as the “Black Jaw Huntsman” due to its black chelicerae. This species varies greatly in both size and colour and pattern from one locality to another (Euseman and Jäger, 2009). For example, the spider recently known in arachnoculture as Heteropoda sp. “Borneo yellow” is, in fact, H. tetrica.

Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767)

This pantropical species is for many arachnoculturist’s the first introduction to the world of huntsman spider husbandry. It is often found in homes and barns throughout its range, but also can be found in gardens and on tree trunks. Females have a white band across their clypeus (face) and carry their flat disc-shaped egg sac under the body.

Heteropoda venatoria, adult female - Phetchaburi, Thailand

A number of “new species” have recently arrived in arachnocultural collections. These include the “Malaysian Burgundy” and “Sumatra Violet”. All of the above species and new forms are being bred in captivity and becoming increasingly more available. Additionally, other sparassid taxa are increasingly kept and bred. For example, the Cameroon, Africa species Barylestis scutatus has become established in American and European breeding collections.

Summary

There is a great allure to these swift and diverse predators. If you’re drawn to tarantula keeping because of their ambush hunting, you’ll be fascinated by the stealthy habits of the huntsman spiders and their warp speed attacks. They don’t share the longevity of theraphosid spiders and most live only two or three years. However brief it is, a huntsman spider’s lifetime offers wonders for those who observe, and beauty for those who look.

There’s even a species called Heteropoda jacobii Strand, 1911. However, since the senior author wasn’t born for another fifty-plus years and his Transylvanian father’s name was spelled “Jakobi” until he reached America, this spider honours some other bloke of no relation. Since this precludes a Heteropoda ever being named after him, Michael hopes to discover a new Olios species instead.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank their mutual friends John Apple and Frank Somma for information sharing, provided specimens, and breeding loans of many true spiders including the sparassids covered in this article. Both gentlemen were interviewed for contributions to this article.

References

Bertkau, P. 1872. Über die Respirationsorgane der Araneen. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 38: 208-233.

Doleschall, L. 1857. Bijdrage tot de Kenntis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch-Indie 13: 339-434.

Doleschall, L. 1859. Tweede Bijdrage tot de Kenntis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel. Acta Societatis Scientiarum Indica-Neerlandica 5: 1-60.

Eusemann, P. & P. Jäger. 2009. Heteropoda tetrica Thorell, 1897 – variation and biogeography, with emphasis on copulatory organs (Araneae: Sparassidae). Contrib. Nat. Hist. 12: 499–516.

Florida Nature. 2004. Heteropoda venatoria, Huntsman Spider. http://flnature.org/species.asp?species=Heteropoda_venatoria. (Accessed 20 November 2015).

Jãger, P. 1999. Sparassidae - the valid scientific name for the huntsman spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnologische Mitteilungen 17: 1-10.

Jäger, P. 2001. Diversität der Riesenkrabbenspinnen im Himalaya -- die Radiation zweier Gattungen in den Schneetropen (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae). Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg 232: 1-136.

Jäger, P. 2002. Heteropodinae: transfers and synonymies (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae). Acta Arachnologica, Tokyo 51: 33-61.

Jäger, P. 2014. Heteropoda Latreille, 1804: new species, synonymies, transfers and records (Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropodinae). Arthropoda Selecta 23(2): 145-188.

Latreille, P.A. 1804. Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des Crustacés et des Insectes. Paris 7, 144-305.

Rovner, J.S. 1980. Vibration in Heteropoda venatoria (Sparassidae): a third method of sound production in spiders. Journal of Arachnology 8, 193-200.

Strand, E. 1911. Spinnentiere aus Neu-Guinea (Opiliones, Psechridae und Clubionidae) gesammelt von Dr. Schlaginhaufen. Abhandlungen und Berichte des Königlich-Zoologischen und Anthropologisch-Ethnografischen Museums zu Dresden 13(5): 1-16.

Thorell, T. 1897. Araneae paucae Asiae australis. Bihang till Kungliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar 22(6): 1-36.

World Spider Catalog. 2015. http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/genus/3115/Heteropoda (accessed 20 November 2015).

#129 - HALEFEST

Greetings,

I'm exhausted and jet-lagged after my third trip to England this year alone. I believe it was my 12th trip to the UK overall. My first was in 2006 when I was a vendor promoting my ARACHNOCULTURE magazine. Around the same time my mate Andrew Smith asked me to become the British Tarantula Society's North American Representative. I returned twice the following year - the first time to be the keynote speaker at the BTS Lectures and the second to once again attend the Exhibition. By then I had put ARACHNOCULTURE to rest and I was there to work as a committee member. My employer at Northwest Zoological and owner of Tarantulas.com Alex Orleans was with me.

Although the first two UK trips of 2016 were for the BTS Lectures (early March) and Exhibition (mid-May), this visit was to attend a party. Yep, I flew 8000 miles round trip and spent $2000+ to go to a party! It wasn't just any party though. Ray and Angela Hale have been the backbone of the BTS for 25 years and they run our Head Office and are the Exhibition Organizers/Promoters. Every year they have an early July party called "Halefest". This was #14. The theme was "Back to the 80s" and us metalhead types dressed in kind. I have been invited the past few years and finally accepted. The day of the party was also the Hales 33rd wedding anniversary. The party is largely comprised of people who have a BTS association and many are current or former BTS Committee members. That, of course, includes my brother-from-another-mother Mark Pennell and his wife Kim. I tried to surprise them with limited success. A few hints I dropped were "sussed out" by Mark and Kim and they felt the atmospheric disturbance I cause.

The Hales. Ray in Lemmy costume. 80s party. Photo credit: © Matt Cooper

Me, Mark and Tyrion Lannister have things in common.
I brought Mark's T-shirt over as a gift.
This is shortly after the Pennells and the Wills arrived from Bristol
#tigerlager #ftw

My costume. Me in a Venom T-shirt and denim vest and wig.
My hair was never black, but it was always ridiculous in the 80s.
Love the flag of England in the background as I was celebrating the
New Wave of British Heavy Metal with my costume.
The vest had a Venom patch on back, my nickname "Jake" on the breast
 and a NWOBHM patch, but all are obscured.

I will see Mark and Kim and Ray and Ang soon in Budapest. This is the third year Mária and László of MaciLaci Spiders, Hungary will put on a lecture series in Budapest that features five BTS-associated presenters. This year Mark and Ray will speak, as will Andrew Smith, Stuart Longhorn and Peter Kirk. I am going to bring a lecture or two on my flash drive in case I am needed as a pinch-hitter ;) Or perhaps they want to extend the talks by another hour? No worries. The reason I am going is just to hang with the Pennells and the Hales. Seeing what everyone says is an amazing city will be a bonus, and so will having the opportunity to spend time with the Hungarian contingent.

Kim, "Lemmy" Ray, Haidee and Mark.
The Pennells and the Wills came as Bucks Fizz.
They danced along with the hit "Making My Mind Up"
#sillybrits

Me and the mad genius that is Carl Portman.
METAL GODS!
Not sure why I look so constipated.
But I am sure why I look so sunburned. Tricky English clouds.

So as I spend the day recovering from exhaustion and jet-lag I reflect on trips past and adventures to come. Budapest October will be here before I know it. Then I will be counting down the days until my February 2017 trip back to Langkawi Island, Malaysia where this year the Hales will join us. The week before many of our group will also be in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo where I hope to find vipers and spiders in the jungles of Bako National Park. In between hopefully I'll be able to swing England 2016 #4 with yet another visit to Bristol.

All the best, MJ

#124 - BTS EXHIBITION 2016

My customary jet lag is finally shaken and I thought I'd file a report on the 31st annual BTS Exhibition while I have my first cup of coffee of the day.

31 years. It may be hard to believe, but the BTS is the world's oldest ongoing tarantula society and by far the best and most successful. The annual exhibition has been organized by Ray and Angela Hale for the past 25 years, and they do an absolutely brilliant job of making it better each year. The Hales are the backbone of the BTS. Ange has been responsible for our Head Office for quite some time, and Rayzor now sits as Vice Chairman of our great society.

Great photo by sukisuki.co.uk of Ray and Ange Hale. Such a lovely couple. Can't believe they have been married for 33 years. He must have married Ange when she was 7. They are responsible for the best arachnid exhibition in the world.

This was my 10th trip to the UK. My first was for the 2006 Exhibition, where I was actually a vendor. Yes, that's right. I didn't bring spiders, of course. Europe has always been the world power in arachnoculture with America not much more than a far distant imposter. But in 2005 I had launched my ARACHNOCULTURE magazine, and my stand at the 2006 event marketed subscriptions and back issues along with some American tarantula books (e.g., Marshall and Schultz). My own Tarantulas (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) wasn't published until 2011.

For as long as I have been aware of it, the BTS Exhibition has always been held in England's Midlands. This gives a central location for UK residents. In 2014, the Exhibition made a huge leap. It had grown continually over the years and traders from all over Europe were now showcasing their wares. Previous events were primarily held at schools. My first in 2006 was in a school gymnasium that had been used for years. However, with the 2014 Exhibition we hired Ricoh Arena, a first class venue and put on what was the best Exhibition yet. It is located in Coventry, which is in the Midlands, just south of Birmingham. There were some hiccups including using a second floor exhibit hall that necessitated using a freight elevator (or as they say, "lift"). I was in charge of running the traders up and down in the lift and I worked it so hard it finally broke. We ended up having to help late-arriving exhibitors up the stairs with their stuff. In 2015, we rented the larger exhibit hall on the ground floor of the Ricoh and put on what we thought was the show to end all shows. We didn't think we'd ever move elsewhere. However, the Arena had new owners and they attempted to extort us to resign for this year. They were politely told to fuck off.

So, Ray and Ange did what they've always done. They've busted their asses to make the BTS Exhibition the finest arachnid/invertebrate show. That's not my own hyperbole. People always talk about Hamm and Marbach in Germany, but every single European trader including the Germans tell us straight up that the BTS Exhibition is the best in the world. When we started at the Ricoh the Hales partnered up with Pandora Events who would help with the hotel bookings and such. Working with Pandora, Ray and Ange located the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre in Leamington Spa. Not as fancy and modern as the Ricoh, but even larger at 2200 square meters of exhibition space, the WEC proved to be the ideal venue. Attendees and traders alike preferred it to the Ricoh. The staff were brilliant and every single thing about the day from the parking to the food to the lighting to the access was superior to the Ricoh Arena. Our host hotel was the Holiday Inn Leamington Spa and it was a modern establishment that lived up to my upscale American standards. The 31st annual event was, by far, the most successful event for arachnoculturists and invertebrate dealers ever held. Until next year, that is... (The 32nd BTS Exhibition will be held at the same location on May 20, 2017).

This year I was entrusted with new duties. When Peter Kirk resigned as Journal Editor and the BTS Committee honored me with seceding Pete (and Richard Gallon before him), Peter also asked me to take on judging the Exhibition's competition and photographing the winning spiders, scorpions, photography, and both adult and children's artwork. So, in addition to 10 days worth of clothing, gifts for the Pennells and all the other stuff I had to haul overseas, I brought my 30 pound camera bag. Foolish, again. I should have just brought my macro rig. I used it to photograph the winning spiders and scorpion, but every other shot I took during the whole trip was taken with my iPhone 6S Plus. Anyway, I'll leave you with some of my favorite photos. I posted many of my own on my @exoticfauna Instagram. Many of the below were "borrowed" from other people (with photo credit given). If you haven't checked out my Instagram feed yet please do. There also have been some great images posted to the BTS Facebook Group.

The upcoming second issue of the BTS Newsletter will be a special issue devoted to the Competition. So those of you who are members will see both the winners and their entries. The Best in Show spider, which was a gorgeous Lasiodorides striatus owned by Britain Kitten, will also be featured on the annual membership card and bookmark.

This is a personal favorite. Mária of Macilaci Spiders, Hungary is lovely and always happy. She is such a great supporter of the BTS and her display is very professional with an incredible variety of tarantulas at exceptional prices. She (aka Maci) and her husband László (Laci) work with Mária's brother László (Dudu) who is seen here in the background doing a great photobomb. Laci took the picture. I'm sporting the new BTS international logo t-shirt. I surprised the family later at the hotel when I purchased a ticket to join the BTS envoy that is visiting Budapest in October. This will be the third year that Macilaci Spiders works in conjunction with TerraPlaza Budapest to bring BTS lecturers to Budapest. I won't be speaking this year, but I'm excited to see the beautiful city and spend time with my BTS friends.

My "niece" Brandon, daughter of my dearest friends Mark and Kim Pennell. She's holding one of the incredible plush spiders that were being offered by sukisuki.co.uk who took the photo of the Hales seen above.

This shot has become an annual tradition. These are the four badasses of the BTS Committee and why nobody gives us any lip. We try our best to look hard, but we're all sweethearts. Last year I ruined the pic with a smile and this year it was Ray. Left to right: Me, Lee Cole, Mark Pennell, Ray Hale. Here's a contest for you ... Put in the comments your guess for ranking us oldest to youngest. Bet nobody gets it...

Me best mate. This year Mark made a "selfie frame" for people to take a pic of themselves at the Exhibition. Here we are before the ride northeast to the Midlands. Mark is acting himself and I'm giving him the look of someone used to it. I'm repping one of my favorite bands, while he is repping Peter Kirk's side business, Precision Piercing.

Add caption

Speaking of mates, here are three more of my favorite Brits. This is the field team. On the outside are the bearded Andrew Smith and the clean shaven Paul Carpenter. I first traveled with them in 2006 to Costa Rica. Andrew and I had become fast friends a few years earlier when he lectured two years for the ATS (once in Carlsbad, once in Phoenix). In the middle is Guy Tansley who traveled with Andy and Paul to other places before the four of us had our field trip to Suriname in 2012. Guy, Paul and myself went to Sri Lanka in 2014 without Andy. Guy is another of my favorite people and, sadly, he didn't make it to the February lectures this year. So, this was the first time the four of us had all been together since the February 2014 BTS Lectures.

This final image was taken early on during vendor set up. It cuts off much of the room. For many pix of the event check out the BTS Facebook Group. Macilaci Spiders and SukiSuki have particularly good photo collections.

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND NEXT YEAR!

#123 - FREE COPY OF THE PREMIERE ISSUE OF THE BTS NEWSLETTER

I've mentioned in earlier entries that when I assumed the Editorship of the prestigious Journal of the British Tarantula Society I decided to create a sister publication. The new BTS Newsletter was launched to provide members more "bang for their buck", as well as to become home for some features that I deemed unsuitable for the Journal.

Today I posted a link in the BTS Facebook Group that allows the general public to download the premier issue of the Newsletter for FREE. I wanted it to reach a greater audience and, hopefully, entice more people who haven't become BTS members to join. Our membership year runs June 1 to May 31 and all memberships are due for renewal. My post also serves to remind people to renew.

Now I realize many of my blog readership is American. Perhaps you've never joined the BTS because you've considered it a foreign organization. I assure you that the BTS is global in its reach and is truly an international society. I also think all of you have learned by now that our American Tarantula Society has never become even a fraction of what the great BTS is. The ATS has always been a disappointment and likely always will be. The annual conference has always been its one success. To be clear, I am not discouraging supporting them. With more support perhaps the new regime will finally make it a society worth being a member of. But for 31 years the BTS has been that and much more. I highly recommend at least a digital-only membership so you get the SIX Newsletters and THREE 50-page full color Journals per annum. If you can afford it, choosing the print option (about $53/year) allows you to hold the beautiful publication that I now have the honor of editing and designing.

Anyway, without further ado and advertisement, here is the link to download BTS Newsletter 1:

http://www.thebts.co.uk/download/bts-newsletter/

Please SHARE this blog entry or at least the above link everywhere and anywhere. Let's spread the word about this FREE issue of the debut Newsletter to as many people as possible. Cheers, MJ

#121 - SUNDAY, FUNDAY #WHATEVER

LONG TIME NO RANT, EDUCATE, RAMBLE, STORY TELL, AND INFO DUMP ...

I've been busy with my new business. I've been busy writing music. I've been busy shooting. I've been busy working out. I've been busy watching the NHL playoffs.

I have NOT been busy with anything that really relates to BIG HAIRY SPIDERS except for working on the next issue of the BTS Journal. That leaves me with little to offer in the way of ranting, educating, rambling and storytelling.

I'm sure many of you are sick of my mentions of the BTS. I understand. It's a "foreign thing". Many of you haven't bothered to become members of the best and world's longest ongoing tarantula society. Those of you who have know what's what. But really my BIG HAIRY SPIDER activity is primarily associated with my BTS duties. And Friday I leave again for the UK - this time for the 31st BTS Exhibition. I'll post pix from the weekend here and on my @exoticfauna Instagram.

Yesterday I wrote one of the few German dealers I actually like. Olaf Hopp is a really nice guy and he has disassociated himself from Michael Scheller who, in my experience, is a bit of a prick. Olaf's English is better too. For those of you who may not know, Olaf used to be Michael's assistant of sorts, but they've had a falling out and now Olaf has surpassed Michael IMO, at least as far as tarantula dealers go. Both Germans survive mostly because they take advantage of the American market. Olaf supplies Paul Becker and Scheller supplies Ken MacNeill. These two Americans support German sales instead of focusing on strengthening the American marketplace. Neither are much in the way of breeders. I'm surprised both (or either!) are still active, especially "the bug guy" who should have tossed it in some time ago. That's one sad commentary on American tarantulaculture and its commerce.

This year we have booked more traders than ever before so there will be new faces and I expect plenty to marvel at if not buy. The phasmids always catch my eye. However, not only does the USDA frown on such magnificent creatures, but I also don't really desire periodic bramble collecting.

Anyway, Olaf and I exchanged our greetings and arranged to get together in the British Midlands and he sent me a list of what he currently has available. It was odd to review a somewhat lengthy and diverse list and have ZERO interest in anything on it. The only thing I really am still working with are two African species and a couple of Pokies. I could use some young of those species for future breeding males, but Olaf was offering none of the above. He does have one juvie female H. pulchripes that I may have to pick up. But shopping isn't really something I do any longer. I could buy a bunch of young M. balfouri for future males for the five females I still have, but wouldn't it be much more pleasant to just sell the five females? Less is more. Down to 30 spiders now. 25 would be even better.

So, it's Sunday, Funday and it's a beautiful day. I'll watch some soccer and hockey. Workout. Clean the house. Next Sunday, Funday I'll be chillaxing in Bristol, England and emptying Tiger bottles with my mate Mark.

I know some people are looking forward to an ATS conference in Tucson this July. It seems the ATS will continue only to perpetuate their only success - the con. I have no intention of registering and officially attending, but perhaps will make a surprise visit as Arizona is definitely calling my name. Again.

Have fun. I'll do a little reporting from the BTS Exhibition on the weekend of the 21-22. MJ

#112 - MONDAY RANDOMNESS

Greetings to all who have stuck with Kiss My Big Hairy Spider despite my reduced output. I appreciate every one of you who still checks in with this blog. My last series of posts, which chronicled the 14th BTS Lectures, sadly only had 25-35 page views each so I definitely have lost readership. But since I know that some of my closer arachnocultural friends like John Apple and Tom Patterson continue to read KMBHS so that is enough for me to keep writing. Hopefully I will find some topics with wider appeal and some of you will help me by sharing the blog link via forums and social media.

The real reason my readership is down is that I have retired and have ceased using Facebook, Arachnoboards and the like. I am not promoting the blog except to share each new post via Google+ (pretty automatic as Blogger is a Google product) and also via my @exoticfauna Twitter account. Also, Scott and Debby Scher have been kind enough to give me a banner ad on AB. I ask that y'all help me by sharing new blog entries as I'd at least like the page views to double.

As I review the page views of the last 111 posts it is obvious that my early rants and the more instructional spider keeping posts are favored above others. However, to be honest, I will write what I want. I'm an independent prog extreme metal guy ... I'm not looking to make a pop single (if that analogy works).

So ... although I am sure there were readers not interested in the BTS posts, I would like to wrap up that series here as I know some of my primary readers are already members. I won't solicit new members again. I think it's a no-brainer for anyone seriously into arachnoculture to be a member even if only via the budget digital only method, but I am not going to flog a dead horse. I will just say that, as the attendance at the Lectures proved once again, the BTS is an INTERNATIONAL organization. The "B" stands for British, but our membership is worldwide and there is no arguing that it is the premiere English-language organization and the best option for American arachnid enthusiasts.

So, to wrap up the series of my trip to Bristol for the 14th Annual Lectures, I would like to report on the AGM (Annual General Meeting). This is the committee meeting that all members can attend and it is held Lectures weekend to make it easy for regular members who are at the Lectures to attend. Sadly, the non-committee attendance was disappointing. However, it was an important committee meeting as the couple that have been running our Membership Office have resigned and we now are seeking new qualified volunteers. In the interim, the Head Office, ran for years by Angela and Ray Hale, will handle membership duties. Another major topic was the Journal and the transition to my taking over as Editor. I proposed that we create a bi-monthly digital-only Newsletter to give members more bang for their buck and to have an appropriate home for some features that I do not consider appropriate for the Journal (e.g., Letters to the Editor, Book Reviews, cartoons, brief breeding reports, etc.). The motion was passed and I am now working on this project and hope to have the premier issue online within the next 30 days. Finally, another important topic was our Research Grant. The BTS accepts proposals for funding and we select a project to fund with 500 of those British Pounds. We only had one submission and therefore voted to contribute to a Brazilian graduate student's work. Dr. Stuart Longhorn oversees this Research Grant, and I will get him to write some info on this work for the new Newsletter. By the way, this blog entry is the first public announcement about the new Newsletter. So my KMBHS readers get a scoop. I appreciate you following me here and will give you little scoops when I can.

Since I keep mentioning the BTS, in fairness I will mention that the ATS is holding a conference this year. As most of you know, they cancelled the conference for the first time in 16 years last summer and "Ken the Bug Guy" held what he and his wife Georgi called a "placeholder event" at the same resort. I was an ATS member from the beginning, but admit I have no intention of being one again. In my opinion all the ATS has ever offered is the conference. It is now held at an amazing location in Tucson, Arizona and I highly recommend attending. When I spoke in 2014, I was duly impressed with the weekend. I must give kudos to those who ran it. However, the ATS has been plagued by poor leadership over the years or had a decent leader whose volunteer board members didn't pull their weight. There has never been a cohesive unit; there has never been a publication worth reading save for the odd decent article (such as Joy Reed's report on breeding Grammostola pulchra). The conference is their one success and I encourage my readers to attend. Remember, these are just my opinions based on involvement since the Carlsbad days and Spider Bob's questionable operation. I wish them the best and I hope they prove me wrong and find a way to succeed. However, they need some qualified volunteers who can produce a professional website and periodical. For 15+ years they have had only the most amateurish internet and printed publication presence. What makes the BTS succeed is committee members who are dedicated and pull their weight. Each has the skill set required for each job. We don't just take anyone willing as these type of people soon have waning interest and drift away. We also wouldn't have, for example, a Treasurer who can't even balance his or her checkbook. You need QUALIFIED, highly dedicated volunteers in EVERY position on your board/committee and the ATS has never had this. But their conference is very good and their current location is amazing. I doubt I'll ever attend again as I travel so much for my own pursuits (including my own trips to Arizona). They'd have to invite me to be keynote speaker and pick up my tab to get me to come again. I don't expect that will happen and, to be honest, in retirement I think any arachnid related lectures I do in the future would be reserved for the BTS. I also have been asked to lecture in Hungary in 2017. I will need to take another field trip in the interim to come up with material as I don't really have much to offer as far as keeping and breeding go now that I've ceased doing so. I am still working with a group of Avicularia sooretama and Harpactira pulchripes, but I don't think there is lecture material there. As far as field trips go, in February 2017 I plan to return to Langkawi, Malaysia with Mark Pennell and company and it is likely that we will spend a weekend beforehand in Sarawak, Borneo. Mark found an interesting new arboreal on Langkawi last month so perhaps there is a lecture or a paper in all of this. However, most of my public speaking will now be limited to teaching defensive handgun technique.

But, let's return to the BTS Journal for a moment... For those of you who are members and are wondering when the next issue will be released, I am happy to report that I will be sending 31(1)/March 2016 to the printer in England today. I won't reveal much about the content, but I will give you a scoop. Tom Patterson and I have collaborated on an article about Heteropoda sp. huntsman spiders. I'm not going to mount an American takeover of the Journal, but it does make me happy to include American authors other than myself. I encourage some of you to consider writing. If you need my help I am happy to come on as co-author. If it is a brief article that may not be a Journal piece I now have the Newsletter to publish it. All I need is notes and outline and I can write it, so you need not worry about your ability as a writer. Of course, photos are always welcome too (preferably 300 dpi CMYK TIFF files, not iPhone pix!). On that note, let's all ask Chad Campbell to do a photography article for the first Newsletter. Chad will be my guest this coming weekend (along with Jason Newland, John Apple and some yet unnamed friends - probably Rob Mitchell). I will talk to him then. An article by Chad would be a great feature piece for the debut of the Newsletter.

In closing, I will mention that I apologize that ArachnoGathering became a two years and out event just like ArachnoCon. This coming weekend is the March NARBC when #3 would have been held. When I created ArachnoGathering I had planned for a longer run, but in retirement I have no desire. It's funny that even though Chad and Apple and Co. will be here this weekend, none of us have any interest in going to the NARBC show. 33 professional years of reptiles and spiders; over 40 as a keeper. Enough for me.

OK, I must get back to putting the finishing touches on the Journal file and get it to the printer. I'll leave you here. Until next time, MJ