The back story:
When I entered the classroom on Wednesday, September 22, I went to check on the tarantulas, as I always do, and noticed something very disturbing. I grabbed my stool and stepped up to get a closer look. Eclipse was in the far rear corner of her enclosure in what looked to be a tangled mess. My immediate thought was "Oh no!, She is in a death curl! What happened!" I peered in for a closer look and noticed a few extra legs. *deep sigh* "She is molting." I carefully opened her enclosure, and sure enough she had just completed her molt and was still lying in her back. She had spun a silk hammock over the entrance to her burrow and used it as her molt mat. Thinking she was clear of her exuvium I grabbed my forceps and carefully grasped the exuvium and began to pull it out. Unknown to me, she was still lying on it; as I tugged she flipped over. Fortunately she was not harmed, and I got a perfect exuvium specimen. The exuvium had no tears in at all, and upon closer examination under the microscope I could could see distinct spermathecae. I have prepared her exuvium to be mounted for display.
I went back to the shelf and checked on the other three and found that Shadow has also completed a molt inside her burrow. She looked to have finished her molt a few hours before Eclipse did. Six days later, Phantom joined the group. Eclipse and Phantom have not yet exited their burrows, so I have not been able to get their exuviums out for examination.
They should all be well over 4" after this molt. This should put the myth about G. pulchra being a slooow grower to rest. I received these four back in December 2009 at just over 1" (they were alittle larger than the diameter as a quarter. Now, nine months later they are over 4". Their molt progression has slowed over the nine months time. In the beginning they were molting about once a month, and now they are molting about every two months. It will be intersting to see how long it will be to the next molt.
Eclipse(001) exuvium is clearly 3.5"+ |
Eclipse right after the flip |
Eclipse, wishing the paparazzi would go away |
Phantom's exuvium, nearly 4", if the front leg were extended |
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