#137 - Poecilotheria subfusca and P. sp. highland

Poecilotheria subfusca is from the Kandy region and "P. bara" is a junior synonym and using the name "bara" in any format is invalid. The highland spider from the alpine forests around Nuwara Eliya should be properly called P. sp. highland.

Period. End of. Full stop. Finito.

Wanna read more and learn why? Join the BTS! The December issue of the Journal of the British Tarantula Society will feature my article on the topic.

#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).

#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

#95 - A BRIEF GLIMPSE INTO THE SPARASSIDAE

I'm going to begin working on an article for the BTS Journal about the husbandry of huntsman spiders (Sparassidae) with an emphasis on the genus Heteropoda. In fact, I think I may ask Tom Patterson and/or John Apple to co-author it with me. (Tom and/or John please email me some of your tips and tricks to spidershoppe@icloud.com and I'll put you on as co-author. Photos also welcome, preferably by email not text!). I'll write the piece, but I am happy to incorporate info shared by Tom and/or John and have them be junior authors.

But, since I've neglected this blog of late, I thought I would just give you loyal KMBHS readers some photos and a few text blurbs as a sort of preview of this upcoming article. This is exclusive to KMBHS readers and I will share nowhere else. However, I will also be posting some of the new photos to my @exoticfauna Instagram today. I've been neglecting posting there too, and have instead been focused on my @dailyhandgun Instagram.

Yesterday, I shipped out my Heteropoda lunula and H. davidbowie. Yes, I was sorry to see them go, but the truth is that I was really only raising them to get photographs. I had no intention of breeding them as I have neither the time nor the desire to feed fruit flies to a hundred or more tiny huntsman spiderlings. I've mostly stayed away from breeding true spiders for this very reason. Raising even the smallest tarantula species is so much easier than sparassids and ctenids. They require more frequent feeding and tinier food. I don't enjoy making fruit fly cultures and the task of getting the little flies and such into vials with speed demon huntsman and wandering spider babies is time consuming and frustrating.

Here is a brief glimpse into the Sparassidae focusing solely on the genus Heteropoda. There currently are an astounding 197 species in this genus! The species that is one of the most widespread is H. venatoria, which has a pantropical distribution. In fact, although the genus is Asian and Australasian in origin, this species has been introduced around the world. We believe that the spider being sold as Heteropoda "Cameroon Giant" is actually a large form of H. venatoria. H. venatoria is also the type species of Heteropoda, described by Linnaeus himself way back in 1767 but originally as Aranea venatoria. The genus Heteropoda was created 37 years later by Latrielle.

This first image is of a wild-collected specimen of Heteropoda venatoria that was sold to me as "Heteropoda sp. 'Phetchaburi'", suggesting that it was found in the Phetchaburi Province of Thailand.

Sparassids have a very distinctive appearance with two rows of four eyes and the crab-like habitus. 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. The following spider is one of those I shipped out yesterday. It is still young, but the beginning of the reddish median dorsal markings are becoming apparent and it is likely a male.

H. davidbowie is certainly a gorgeous spider, and it's "facial makeup" is what led Peter Jäger to name it after the glamour and glitter pop star, but I think the most beautiful is Heteropoda lunula. I will miss having these around more than almost all the tarantulas I have sent away. The species was described in 1857 by Doleschall as Olios lunula. 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. The photos below will show you why it is my favorite.

Of course, as BTS North American Coordinator, and now Editor of its prestigious Journal, I would be remiss if I did not once again solicit your membership. We are putting the finishing touches on the next issue of the Journal right now and I was pleased to see the list of new members to include more Americans including at least two KMBHS readers (John Apple & Kiffnie Holt). Please consider a digital membership if you can't spring for getting the Journal by mail. Here's a link. The upcoming Journal features a major taxonomic revision that I have co-authored. That's all I can say for now ... You'll have to wait until it hits mailboxes some time in December.

My editorial reign begins in the new year and I will look to get my full feature on Sparassidae in one of the three issues of 2016. I hope you've enjoyed this sneak preview and a quick glimpse at three species of the huge genus Heteropoda.

Please remember to follow my @exoticfauna Instagram for pix and such, including spiders and herps but also my other interests like travel and food/drink and tattoos (don't worry I save the firearms for my other IG for the most part). I leave for Costa Rica in three weeks and I will be posting images daily to this account. Now is the time for you to create an Instagram account if you don't have one and give me a follow. I will follow you back. I will be documenting every step of my journey in the land of Pura Vida accompanied by my "bonus dad" Joel.

All the best, MJ

#73 - RANDOM MUSINGS

I missed my Sunday, Funday post two days ago. This is supposed to be the weekly random off-topic nonsense. I was busy at work and with some other things. I worked six days last week and am working six this week so today is my only day off. I have spider orders to pack and ship and I have a seat at my company's "Gold Table" at tonight's local NRA banquet starting at five so I am in a bit of a rush.

Still I can't start my morning without playing with spiders over a few cups of java. I just finally rehoused all of my Heteropoda davidbowie (thankfully without incident) and I cupped up the 2nd instar Avicularia diversipes I just hatched. There were 57 in total. Now I will feed them and try to do some more feeding before I start my packing so I can drop off the packages at FedEx on the way to the banquet.

Before starting to type this I posted a new Arachnoboards ad. I still have some clearance items and I've reduced almost all the prices and am still offering 10% off orders of $300+ exclusive of freight charge with free shipping for orders of $500+. There is a surprise on this list as I am offering my five adult female ULTRA RARE Avicularia hirschii AS A GROUP ONLY. I am also considering adding my Pachistopelma. I would love to be the first to breed A. hirschii and add that to my list of USA firsts in the past 12 months (including both species of Pachistopelma and Harpactira pulchripes), which now stands at six I think. However, I have no young to raise for males and my future with the colony looks bleak. I'd rather move them out to someone who might breed them and it would also help me buy the $4000 pistol I currently have my eye on.

Producing six US firsts probably won't even be recognized by the "popularity contests" such as this Reptile Report "Breeder of the Year" thing. Cracks me up how some of the people perennially nominated haven't bred a dad gum thing and others have bred species that everybody and their grandma has bred. Yay, for you and your Psalmopoeus irminia. But this is the way of the hobby ... the people who waste their hours among the Faffbookers and Arachnoboreds get popular and most hobbyists haven't a clue.

I also updated my website listing and corrected a glitch that someone made me aware of. Plus I sent out a wholesale list to try to move out the A. diversipes and I. hirsutum "Recife" I have on hand. I only wholesale to legitimate resellers (licensed businesses) or a few "weekend warriors" I respect and refuse to sell to the newbies, douchenozzles, and USPS illegal shippers.

I also started me day exchanging text messages with Mark Pennell and John Apple. Mark's October 4 arrival is only about 19 days away so time is flying. I still can't believe August has passed and now we're already half way through September. I am excited to have my best mate here again along with other close friends during my October 9 mini-ArachnoGathering at my home. Y'all are still welcome as long as you RSVP and ask for address. It's BYOB, but I'll be supplying the food. If you want to "stock the bar" with a bottle of booze I favor whiskey - Irish or American bourbon - vodka (especially Belvedere, Grey Goose and Ketel One). After my recent overconsumption of tequila - AFTER finishing the lion's share of a bottle of Jameson Black Barrell - I'd rather avoid that devil's spirit!

Mark's tattoo schedule is already fully booked. He wants to have more down time this trip. I will be going to work when he has his tattoos scheduled so that I don't desert On Target completely. I'm working my way up the ladder there and don't want to stay away for too long.

I'm starting to get my Costa Rica trip all planned and I'll be gone and away from the Internet for a glorious 10 days at the beginning of December. When I do have signal I will just be posting some images to my @exoticfauna Instagram account. I hope y'all are following me there and/or on Twitter using same name. As you know, I don't Faffbook any more.

I don't miss FB one bit. For a guy who checked it on his phone or iPad or laptop dozens of times throughout the day it was amazing how "cold turkey" I shunned it and never even thought about it again. I really was fed up with all the idiots and staying away from AB and FB is good for my mental health. I am very intolerant of ignorance and I admit it is a personal flaw. I'm not just intolerant, every little thing tends to annoy me. I'm so OCD and so into proper writing, spelling and grammar that it's like nails on the blackboard just reading some of the atrociously written posts. I've already commented on how much capitalizing species names drives me batty, and now I see another newbie dealer who does scientific names in all lower case, without properly capitalizing the genus. Who the fuck does he think he is? e.e. cummings? You don't get to make stylistic choices with scientific names. There is only one way to write them.

Talking about editing and copy editing leads me to an announcement. This is not public and I am only sharing it with you, my faithful KISS MY BIG HAIRY SPIDER audience. Please keep it among our friendly little group until it is formally announced. I am excited to inform you that I will be taking over as Editor-in-Chief of the BTS Journal. I have already been serving as primary copy editor. That is, I am the first to rewrite submitted articles to correct grammar and make them as concise and clear as possible. All articles need substantial reworking and those translated from another language take even more effort. However, now Peter Kirk is turning the reins over to me completely. As many of you know, I published seven issues of my own magazine, ARACHNOCULTURE, from 2005-2007. Now I will again be guiding a publication, only this time it will be the world's premier arachnocultural and arachnological publication. It is looking like I am taking on quite a project here as not only will I be the Editor-in-Chief, but it is likely that I will also take over the pre-press layout of the magazine in order to stay on top of publication schedule. The BTS Journal will be my primary focus in the arachnid hobby. Any other activities including breeding, lectures, and event hosting will be secondary. This makes it even more unlikely that there will be an ArachnoGathering #3. Sorry. If any of you want to volunteer to come on board with AG and contribute some hard work to making it happen please let me know. If I get several helpers - AND NARBC GIVES ME THE GO AHEAD - it may still happen.

This is another busy week and my blog entries may be limited. If anyone out there wants to do a "guest blog" now is the time to volunteer. m.a.jacobi@icloud.com.

cheers, MJ