Maybe make this a sticky so that people can find it

Why am i doing this thread?

So many people recommend a "pink toe" as a good first or second spider. I don't disagree in the slightest! But the majority of people aren't as Avic orientated as me... ok maybe Elaine But not many!
Most people buy a pink toe from a pet shop labelled as Avicularia avicularia, Avicularia metallica etc and so think no different, why would you?? I wouldn't if i didn't know people who study this kinda thing

So what is a pink toe?

A "pink toe" is a collective common name for Avicularia species. There are loads of species of "pink toe" (which i'll call Avics through the rest of the post) but only so many are in captivity.

How to care for an Avicularia species:

Avicularia species are arboreal spiders, that is they live in trees/up high. In the wild the spider will build a cocoon web on cracked bits of bark, holes in tree trunks etc
In captivity keep these spiders in upright containers. A layer of about 4" of substrate (something that holds moisture, i personally recommend coir/coconut fibre) with a piece of bark as a hide, laid vertically up the side of the tub. Avicularia are a species who like to web. They'll produce vast amounts of web and live in a tube web as protection.
Avicularia need humidity and lots of ventilation - hence why i'd not suggest for a beginner. I tend to keep my Avics in 5l cereal containers and plastic sweet jars. Holes drilled in the lid and drilled all round the base of the tub in 2 rows, top and bottom. Mist weekly or twice weekly, provide a water bowl aswell for adults, either on the floor or you can hot glue gun it to a piece of bark up high. Keep the spiders at about 75-82F and preferably with light from above, and all should be good!

Right, so why is my spider NOT Avicularia avicularia?

I'll put this in simple terms, but feel free to ask any questions or add things

For a spider to be classified, it first has to be discovered. When it's first discovered, it's drawn and has key features noted and then the specimen is kept in alcohol in a museum. This is the "type" for that species. Anything that is not identical to this spider, is not the same species.
The drawings should show spermathecae, colours, the males sexual organs (emboli and apophysis) etc

Recently, a couple of people published a BTS journal on looking through for the Avicularia avicularia specimen originally found by Linnaeus, 1758. They found the "correct" specimens and also the pictures and notes he'd made on the spider. The pictures were near enough just a black/dark spider with pink toes. No indication of size etc and no locality registered i don't think (anyone care to correct me?) so from these we were no further forward.
Then they had a look at the alcohol and the dried specimen. If you have the journal, it's there in pictures so you can see what they were looking at.

After carefully looking at the specimens, as they're very old! the researchers discovered that one of the specimens supposedly meant to be Avicularia avicularia was infact Stromatopelma calceatum! A completely different spider, completely different coloured, and completely different country of origin!!! The second also proved to be a completely different species.

So basically... We don't actually know what the spider that Linnaeus found really looks like, apart from some really old (and not awfully helpful) drawings.

This is why we label any spiders bought as Avicularia avicularia as Avicularia sp. "Guyana", at least for now.

Over the years various different species have been collected and sold as various names. There are lots of Avicularia species which are black/blue with pink toes:

huriana
amazonica
metallica
braunshauseni
avicularia
etc etc

And so dealers cottoned on that by adding a newer/better name to the spiders, they would sell quicker and for more! BINGO where the problem starts.
Buy in spiders labelled as Avicularia avicularia, sell them as Avicularia braunshauseni because they get bigger but look the same so no-one will know! Whack a huge price tag on them, but because they're new people buy them! (Can i point out, it's normally the smaller dealers that did this, not large wholesalers etc)
So people grow it on, get a male, advertise it as braunshauseni. Someone who has the real braushauseni female grabs the male, mates the 2, gets babies.. bingo.. one hybrid created! And no-one is any wiser... It happened with many of them basically and now nobody is sure what is what anymore!

The whole genus needs re-doing and i believe it may be being done somewhere! But it's not a small or easy task.

So for now.. everything that comes from Guyana or thereabouts is labelled as Avicularia sp. "Guyana" to be on the safe side, and i, personally, will not breed from these species. They are pet shelf only until the genus is sorted out.

I do breed Avicularia. But only the "not messed up ones"
versicolor, minatrix, laeta etc

And i buy from reputable people on any other species. I have seen people selling for example "peru purple" under many different names! Pay a fortune for it, get it home, grow it on.. its a "peru purple". Great! Trust me.. i've done it lol
So i now buy from trustworthy people and i seek a taxonomists opinion on Avics i wish to breed. But until the genus is sorted, i keep sp. "Guyana" labelled as such, and they sit on the pet shelf, then once dead they are preserved and go for research purposes

Hope this helps people a little! It's a lot more long winded though really...

This describes it in a lot more detail:

The Tarantula Store -> The Genus Avicularia

Enjoy and feel free to leave comments and ask questions

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Thanks Becky

how do you preserve a spider?

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Sammy B.T.S Member !
Cats Rule!
My pets 0.1.0 H.paucidens 0.0.1 P.imperator 0.1.0 H.lividum 0.0.1 H.minax 0.0.1 H.schmidti 0.1.0 L.parahybana 0.1.0 G.rosea 0.0.1 T.gigas 0.0.1 H.maculata 0.0.1 C.fimbriatus 0.0.2 S.philippinus 0.0.1 P.murinus 0.0.1 N.chromatus 0.0.2 C.crawshayi 0.0.9 GALS 0.1.0 Kitty Cat 3.1.0 Budgies 0.1.0 H.vonwirthi (with sac!) 0.0.1 P.cancerides
Make cakes from scratch, packet mixes make you fat!

putting in a high % alcohol or freezing them (which is what iv done until i have high concentration alcohol) beer doesnt do btw

nice thread Bex with Avics so popular its good to give people a point in the right direction

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I put my spiders in the freezer to preserve them, then the person who i give them to, who wants them at the time for whatever work, puts them in a jar of alcohol.

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Yip, that about sums it up Becky

Like you, I have many Avics here, the most easily recognisable being the versicolor's but I dont know if they are large or small form yet so there is even a question mark over them until they are mature

Avicularia purpurea is exactly what its supposed to be. I also have A. cf purpurea so will wait and see how they turn out.

I also have Avic sp "fasciculata's" that may not even be Avics, A. sp. "bicegoi" that isnt even in the hobby as far as we know. The original bicegoi was totally different for the present day hobby one. A. sp "Amazonica" that could end up being anything but is totally gorgeous. A. metallica is now labled as A. sp "Guyana". A. braunshauseni, will have to wait and see on this one. A. sp "Peru purple" that seem to be the real deal but time will tell. A. sp "bicegoi" that is looking exactly like my A. sp "Amazonica". A. azuraklaasi which are so cute but who knows what they really are. I even have one thats labled as Avic sp. ??? lol

The taxonomists have done a lot of work already but without the original specimens to work with will be in a for hard job. Personally I think they would be better starting again from scratch. Boy have they got their work cut out.

The joy of Avics. It hasnt put me off keeping them but I'm not intending to breed the unknowns and add to the mess the Genus is already in. Its such a shame too.

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My T's0.0.10 A.versicolor0.1.1 A.bicegoi0.0.1 A.purpurea0.0.2 A.cf purpurea0.0.2 A.azuraklaasi1.0.2 A.peru purple0.0.5 A.Amazonica0.0.11 A.sp fasciculata0.0.1 A.braunshauseni0.0.2 A. metallica0.1.1 A.Kwitara river1.1.0 B.klaasi1.0.0 B.smithi0.0.2 B.schroederi0.0.2 B.albiceps0.1.0 B.boehmei0.0.1 B.emilia0.1.0 B.verdezi0.0.1 C.cyaneopubescens1.0.2 E.truculentus0.0.1 E.Montane0.0.1 E.vulpinus0.0.1 G.aureostriata1.0.1 G.iheringi1.0.0 G.rosea0.0.2 G.pulchra0.2.0 G.grossa0.1.0 G.alticeps0.0.1 G.North1.0.0 G. sp.formosa0.0.1 H.gigas0.0.1 H.lividum0.0.2 L.polycuspulatus0.0.1 L.parahybana0.0.10 P.cambridgei0.0.1 P.miranda0.0.1 T.apophysis0.0.2 X.immanis0.0.2 Y.Koh samui

It is a shame Elaine. I've got:

versicolor - both forms
fasciculata
minatrix
purpurea
laeta
peru purple (bought as huriana!)
bicegoi (which looks completely dif to your lil bicegoi! Mines yellow!)
sp. "guyana" (bought as avic avic)

So i've mainly got the recogniseable ones

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I will need to tslk to the breeder of a versicolor's to find out what mine are. They are only 3 inches just now.

Just as an example here is a pic of my A. sp "bicegoi" (the one thats in the hobby just now) and the link to Rick West's site for the pic he has there of a possible bicegoi


Avicularia sp. (poss. bicegoi Mello-Leitao, 1923), female, Brazil - Rick West - Birdspiders.com

Totally different spiders

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My T's0.0.10 A.versicolor0.1.1 A.bicegoi0.0.1 A.purpurea0.0.2 A.cf purpurea0.0.2 A.azuraklaasi1.0.2 A.peru purple0.0.5 A.Amazonica0.0.11 A.sp fasciculata0.0.1 A.braunshauseni0.0.2 A. metallica0.1.1 A.Kwitara river1.1.0 B.klaasi1.0.0 B.smithi0.0.2 B.schroederi0.0.2 B.albiceps0.1.0 B.boehmei0.0.1 B.emilia0.1.0 B.verdezi0.0.1 C.cyaneopubescens1.0.2 E.truculentus0.0.1 E.Montane0.0.1 E.vulpinus0.0.1 G.aureostriata1.0.1 G.iheringi1.0.0 G.rosea0.0.2 G.pulchra0.2.0 G.grossa0.1.0 G.alticeps0.0.1 G.North1.0.0 G. sp.formosa0.0.1 H.gigas0.0.1 H.lividum0.0.2 L.polycuspulatus0.0.1 L.parahybana0.0.10 P.cambridgei0.0.1 P.miranda0.0.1 T.apophysis0.0.2 X.immanis0.0.2 Y.Koh samui

Exactly lol Look at Mary's old bicegoi female she had.. completely different again!


You'll know what form your versi are as they grow up anyway hun

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Thanks for that - a very interesting and informative read.

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id love to be preserved. to be kept in a high alcohol concentration, actually come to think of it, i normally do on a friday night

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1.1 snow and amel corns (derrick and scooter)
1.1.1 leopard geckos (em, marv and rob)
0.0.1 guyana pink toe tarantula
0.0.1 G. rosea
0.2 cats (dusty and blacket)
0.0.1 gold fish (bubbles)

want :anything i can get my hands on