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GIANT
FISHING
SPIDERS
(Ctenidae Ancylometes) |
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The genus Ancylometes
contains 15 species at the moment counting some of the largest
araneomorph spiders, like the A. rufus: adult females which measure
4 - 5 cm in body and more than 10 - 12 cm as legspan; the males are
smaller, with about 2.5 - 3 cm body but with longer legs. Both are
brown with dark spots on the abdomen. Males have two thin clear
lines all along the carapace, very evident pedipalps and longer legs.
Juveniles are pretty similar to adults but external sex
determination is sure only in the last moults when patterns on
carapace, abdomen and pedipalps shape become visible. |
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30
September, 2007:
Hi friends!!! I hope you’re ok and have a nice start of week!!!
This time I contact you to contribute with both of you with this
amazings photos!! The Giant Fishing Spider is Growing at a speed
really fast and amazing!!!!! Remember that a few mails ago I ask
you about if they change theyr skin or shield as Snakes do???
Well.... This girl (I dont know it’s sex but I call it as a
female ja ja ja!!) change her skin again! The last Saturday
night!!! As I live closer I cant see very good the growing
process, but my friends and visitor note that she is growing
very fast!!!! I note it when I get the old skin and compared
with the older one!! She is having a amazing and fast growing
process!!! I took some shoot that maybe could be interesting for
you and your sites!!!In the Photos you can note everything, even
the Eyes and Teeths!! Gustavo
Click for a larger view. |
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13
September, 2007:
I send you some pics of the Little but growing fast Giant Spider
Spider that looks like she is HUNGRY ALWAYS! And eat bugs that
are 2 or 3 times his size!!
In fact, looking for food for this spider I found a very trange
BUG that I never saw in my life!!! I found 2, and they use to be
founded under rocks or earth!! I dont know what kind of bug can
it be!!! Even I saw discovery channel a lot and I learn a little
about bugs and stranges bugs!! This one that you’ll see, have a
very soft body, hard head and a very powerfull tooths! In fact
when I catch it with a stick and a straw, it bite very hard the
straw!!!!! AMAZING!!!! I dont know if is an QUEEN ANT or
something like that! But I get amazing and get some shoots!
Minutes after I doubt about feed the spider with it because the
power of they tooth, nut I put inside anyway.... The spider just
jump it over instantly and attack it right in the head! The
spider take a position like HUG the bug and stay in this
position for a while (I supouse using the venom) but I dont know
how the spider doesnt be biten by the powerfull tooths!Minutes
after she take the bug in to a square and eat it at all!!!
Gustavo
Click for a larger view. |
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10
September, 2007:
Attached some
pics of my newly acquired Ancylometes species for your pleasure:
Both specimen are still juveniles and will still have to do some
growing.
Stefan
Click for a larger view. |
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3
September, 2007:
Sadly, Gustavo's giant fishing spider passed away but he
has sent in some photos of his new one.
Click for a larger view. |
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23 July, 2007:
Gustavo's giant fishing spider seems to be making an egg sac.
You can watch on YouTube
here. Here are some photos that Gustavo took.
Click for a larger view. |
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17 July, 2007:
Here's some more photos from Gustavo.
Click for a larger view. |
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26 June, 2007:
Here's some more photos of Gustavo's giant fishing spider
from Venezuela. There are also some closeups on the
Great Spider Photos page.
Click for a larger view.
Click
here for the Youtube link for a video of
Gustavo's spider. |
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24 June, 2007:
Here's some photos of giant fishing spiders from
Stefan.
Click for a larger view.
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Adult female + sac, Ancylometes ssp. (suspected A. amazonicus),
wild caught, Peruvian Amazon
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Same
specimen, different angle, note that strange appearance of the
sac, looks like it´s covered with something.
That stuff makes the sacs water-resistant, which is important as
these spiders use to "bath" their sacs to enhance climatic
conditions for development of the eggs.
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Same specimen with fresh hatched sac, note the famous "nursery
web"
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Adult
female, Ancylometes ssp. (suspected A. rufus), wild caught,
Peruvian amazon
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Same
specimen, with size reference, this species can grow MUCH BIGGER
than this
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Ancylometes bogotensis, captive bred (my own breed), young
specimen
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Adult
male, Ancylometes ssp. (suspected A. rufus), wild caught, Peruvian
amazon |
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Reply:
Hi Glenda,
not Lycosidae (wolf spider).
Definitely Ctenidae, but NOT Phoneutria.
Due to markings at first leg segments and the weak markings as
well at the
carapace as at the abdomen this is most probably a member of the
genus
Ancylometes (giant fishing spiders).
Ancylometes is very closely related to Phoneutria and hard to
keep apart if
one is not used to them.
(I´m keeping and breeding four different species of that genus
so i know
them pretty well.)
In difference to Phoneutria, Ancylometes is very calm and
reluctant to bite
and is completely harmless to humans. The spiders can grow up to
really
large sizes and resemble Phoneutria under this aspect, too.
In fact these two genera are known to be the largest two
Ctenidae genera in
South - America.
Unfortunately I can't be of any help regarding the species,
though.
Have a nice weekend.
Greetings,
Stefan
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24 June, 2007:
My name is Gustavo , from Caracas Venezuela.
Firts of all congratulations for your website!!!!!! Is very
nice, informative, and complete!!!
Well, Is a pleasure to me send you this letter with 2 points:
Well I
don't want to boder you with my History’s but the
fact is that 4 night before when I was in my room
watching some TV I heard a noise very strange!
When I found the origin of the noise I found this
spider! It was in a square were I stock pappers,
notebooks, posters and artworks of my job!
The Strange thing is that I dont live close to a
mountain, jungle or wild place! So, how this spider get
in to my house??
Even I’m an strange animals lover get in shock! The size
of the spider is like 2/3 of a open hand!
I try to investigate in Internet bout it but I dont find
anyting about it!
I have the spider in a cristal fish box, and I was worry
about it because I get it Ants, and insects and The
spider doesnt eat anything! I found a Big Cocrach and I
put it alive in the Cristal box and instantly the spider
Jump over the cocrach and start to eat it!
In 3 hours there was NO SIGNAL of the cocrach! I’m
sending you the photos!
But I dont have the b.... To touch it with the hand
because I dont know yet if the spider is poinson or not!
I’ll appreciate so much if you or any of yours
subscribers can Identify this spider and tell me if is
poison, if the hair can be itchy, What can I do for feed
it, etc... and even what can be the most or better
ambient that I can make it for the spider in the cristal
box!
I dont know.. Sand, a Lung, a stick of tree!
The photos are in a very good resolution and I hope that
works for your website and to help me to identify this
spider!
The only thing that I saw very spetial is that the
spider looks like that have a kind of helmet in the head
that looks like a turtle!
Thaks in advance for all the help that you can bring me
about it, I’ll apreciatte so much and I repeat, “Feel
totaly free to use the photos in your website”
Best Regards.
Sincerely yours...Gustavo
Click for a larger view.
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