THE SPINNERETTE ISSUE 9 HILARIOUS TARANTULA STORIES AMAZING TS IN QUARANTINE PSALMOPOEUS ADVICE, IRMINIA CARE TIPS, TAXONOMY VENEZUELAN SUNTIGER 1
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hello T lovers! It's hard to believe we are still in the midst of COVID-19, but I have been thankful to all of you (and my spiders of course) for your messages and comments throughout this time. It's definitely been an inspiration to keep going and stay connected during these difficult times. I hope you and your loved ones are safe. For this issue, it's all about the Psalmopoeus irminia (Venezuelan suntiger tarantula), which is an absolute stunner for any tarantula collection. While this T is geared toward more experienced keepers, it's a spider that I think all beginners should know about and I hope you find this information helpful. I've also gotten some amazing silly tarantula stories in here that I think you will love! Big thank you to the Tarantula Heaven community for contributing stories/photos and The Tarantula Collective for sponsoring this issue! If you are interested in submitting feedback, being a part of future issues, or contacting me for advertising, you can do so at [email protected]! Spider hugs, Patricia, Spidey + Blinky (my tarantula babies) Tarantulaheaven.com / Tarantula Tuesday Newsletter FOLLOW MY TARANTULA STUFF! Questions / Comments? Feel free to email me at [email protected] The cover image is credited to B a y L e e ' s 8 Legged Art / Flickr Copyright © 2020 Patricia Colli
This issue is sponsored by... TheTarantulaCollective.com get caught in the web Check out our website for merchandise and learn about all the other cool stuff we're doing! THE TARANTULA COLLECTIVE: WHAT IS THE BEST TARANTULA?!?! SUBSCRIBE!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 08 Psalmopoeus Irminia, The Venezuelan Suntiger 12 16 By Michael Fantus Psalmopoeus Irminia Care Tips By Patricia Colli Giving Suntigers A Good Life An interview with Robbie Mc Strummer of Robbiestalkingts 20 P. Irminia: My Pet Hole 28 32 An interview with Monika Reniero 60 Silly Spiders A collection of hilarious tarantula stories, submitted by T owners Tarantulas: The Masters Of Self Quarantine Photo submissions of everyone's tarantulas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources + References A list of sources and references from articles in this issue
PSALMOPOEUS IRMINIA, THE VENEZUELAN SUN TIGER By Michael Fantus The Suntiger is visually and behaviorally one of the more popular species in the hobby. I had a female that I raised from a sling the size of a flea to an adult that had a leg-span of around 3-4”. They are concise as far as tarantulas go, but are feisty and like to remain out in the open, a big plus. She lived to be age 11. Taxonomy and Nomenclature Psalmopoeus means “creator of song” and irminia means “total, complete”. So Psalmopoeus irminia means “perfectly composed”. Name and Description History: Psalmopoeus irminia are unique in their striking black coloration paired with vibrant orange chevron and leg markings. This species can be very defensive when disturbed, yet also has the ability to accelerate from danger very quickly. Like other Psalmopoeus, this species can often be found in tree cavities at a medium height. Females reach six inches in diagonal leg span on average. Males are sexually dimorphic, appearing to have much thinner legs as well losing most of their coloration, it can be hard to distinguish them from Psalmopoeus cambridgei mature males. Like all members of Psalmopoeus , P. irminia lack urticating hairs. Eggsacs of this species typically carry 50-200 spiderlings, however, they have the 8 Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons9
Psalmopoeus Irminia, The Venezuelan Suntiger, cont’d ability to lay two eggsacs from a single mating. As for the Suntiger, this includes the following data: Classification of the Suntiger takes place as follows. The species was originally described Size: About 6” by Saeger in 1994. Revisions to the description have followed since then: Growth Rate: Medium – fast Psalmopoeus irminia Saager, 1994 Natural Habitat: Venezuelan rainforest. They Psalmopoeus irminia Peters, 2000 seek hollowed out areas of trees. Psalmopoeus irminia Peters, 2003 Psalmopoeus irminia Schmidt, 2003 Housing Needs: Arboreal setup. This species Psalmopoeus irminia Schmidt, Bullmer & likes higher temps around 80 to 85 as well as Thierer-Lutz, 2006. high humidity. They will also do well at room temperature. ]*Why can’t we just look at a Temperament: They are very fast sprinters and jumpers, are very defensive and have one tarantula and name it, give of the strongest bites and potent venom of the it some cool nickname and New World species. have that be the end of it? Because, believe it or not, some Taxonomy: tarantulas that appear to be exactly alike are genetically not the least bit related! We need to resort to good science and comprehensive and compulsive research at all times in order to know and understand the dynamics and creatures that reside within the living world. P1h0oto credit: William Turner
Distribution and Status: There is no information on how endangered the Grey area: Habitat known to Psalmopoeus irminia. Suntiger is in the wild though under no circumstances Black dot: Psalmopoeus irminia recently found should tarantulas be collected from the wild without in Brazil (2016). Vegetation and climate in the explicit written permission of the government in the Paracaíma region is similar to the Northern region. country in which it lives. ABOUT MICHAEL Michael Fantus’ day job is marketing in a Washington DC Association. His hobbies include fiction writing, music composition, French horn playing, redwood bonsai, and tarantulizing. He is the author of a novel, the Rage of Ganymede and the Lightning Manifesto. (Never ask a girl her age, and I have a partner named Stefen Styrsky who works in legal services, is a published fiction and technical writer, as well as a film critic. He avoids the tarantulas). Flip to the back to see references for this article! Photo credit: Wikimedia Commo1n1s
Psalmoipromeiunsia CARE TIPS Common name: Venezuelan BASIC INFO Experience level: Intermediate - suntiger Advanced Type: New World, arboreal Scientific name: Psalmopoeus irminia Life span: Males can live up to 4 Growth rate: Fast Origin: Venezuela, North Guyana, years. Females could live up to 12 North Brazil, Paracaíma years. Size: 5.5-6\" diagonal leg span APPEARANCE Psalmopoeus irminia has unique, beautiful coloring: vibrant black with bright orange chevron marks on its legs and orange tiger-stripes on their abdomen. On the underside of their feet, P. irminia has an iridescent green and blue coloring. This species experiences sexual dimorphism in which females are larger and more vibrant in coloring than males. BEHAVIOR Attitude: Psalmopoeus irminia are fast moving Defensive behavior: P. irminia are very fast and can be quite defensive, which is why they sprinters as well as jumpers, and are quite are not necessarily recommended for new defensive. They are known to bite when feeling tarantula owners. threatened. P. irminia, despite being a New World species, does not have urticating hairs. Bite danger: A bite from the Venezuelan Handling: Handling tarantulas is not suntiger can be quite dangerous - they have one recommended, and handling a P. irminia is of the strongest bites and venom of new world particularly dangerous due to its potent venom tarantulas. and defensive/skittish nature. DIET + NUTRITION Venezuelan suntigers can eat crickets, roaches, locusts, moths and worms. 12
THE TARANTULA COLLECTIVE: VENEZUELAN SUNTIGER TARANTULA (PSALMOPOEUS IRMINIA) CARE & HUSBANDRY Substrate: 3″ of coconut fiber HOUSING Temperature: Venezuelan substrate is suitable due to its suntigers thrive in room resistance to mold. Substrate can Enclosure: This tarantula should temperature up to ranges of 80- be misted weekly. have an arboreal terrarium. The 85°F. enclosure should be taller with not Decor: A piece of bark placed too much floor space. Collection notes: This species vertically as well as other plants/ can be quite reclusive and may decorations for webbing anchor Humidity: P. irminia come from live in their web tunnels. They points. a rainforest habitat so they need may also spend quite a bit of time some humidity. You can provide on the ground despite being an Ventilation: This tarantula needs this by keeping the substrate arboreal species. several ventilation holes to prevent damp. mold in the enclosure. Water: A small water dish should always be present along with weekly misting. FUN FACTS Despite being an arboreal species of tarantula, P. irminia slings and some adults will actually hang out on the ground until they reach a larger size. Some will even burrow. 13
Unlike most New World tarantulas, Psalmopoeus irminia do not have urticating hairs. However, this spider has a much stronger venom than other New World species, and is very fast to make up for its lack of urticating hairs.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
GIVING SUNTIGERS A GOOD LIFE An interview with Robbie Mc Strummer Robbie is a tarantula keeper from England who shares his journey in tarantula keeping on his YouTube channel Robbiestalkingts. Here, he shares his journey with Psalmopoeus irminia tarantula. Tell us about yourself! stunningly beautiful arboreal species out there. My names is Robbie, I'm 35 from London, England and I'm a musician and Youtuber. My What’s been your experience with this hobbies are music, movies and video games. spider? My experience so far has been great, these What inspired you to get a P. irminia? guys are great eaters, grow fast so it won't take I was inspired to get a Psalmopoeus irminia long before you have a gorgeous adult spider right after seeing posts on Instagram featuring on your hands. The only downside is they are what in my opinion is one of the most very reclusive and you won't see them out and about all too often. Do you have experience with male/female/ breeding in this species? I haven't experienced breeding this species myself but my mature male has just been sent to The Spider Shop (UK) to do his duty and make little spiderlings :). In raising this species from a sling, what did you learn about this spider? What was the most enjoyable life stage to care for? The most amazing part of raising this species from a sling is seeing it go through all its life cycles from sling to juvenile, sub adult, adult and ultimately maturing and also seeing those stunning black and orange colours. Pho1t6o credit: Robbie Mc Strummer
Photo credit: Robbie Mc Strummer ]How does this tarantula’s temperament What care tips work well for this spider? compare to others? They like moisture, and a dark place to hide. Temperament wise I've found if you just let the They can be very photo sensitive. I used to mist T do its thing, you shouldn't have any issues but the enclosure every 3 to 4 days and let it dry they are lightning quick and can be defensive if out. As slings, feed every other day and less disturbed. frequently as it got older. ]Take my mature male for example, Have you ever had a scary/challenging experience with this species? the only time it got defensive was No, to be honest mine have been good as gold when I got it into the catch cup to and a joy to raise. package it and be shipped to The Spider Shop. In your experience, how does this tarantula compare to others? 17
A Good Life For A Suntiger, cont'd ROBBIESTALKINGTS: POECILOTHERIA SUBFUSCA LOWLAND REHOUSE!!! That's a great question. In my experience ] ]At the end of the day if you're not all tarantulas are fundamentally the same. They can be really defensive or really calm, happy with what's being offered, it all depends on how you interact with the don't accept the deal. specimen. General rule is if you don't mess with them, then they won't mess with you. What’s the #1 tip you’d give for caring What advice would you give to T owners for the P. irminia? looking to raise spiders for breeding My number one tip is just enjoy it and don't purposes? How do you make good panic when it comes to dealing with any breeding deals and trades? species. Well I'm lucky enough to know very reputable breeders. And when it comes to ABOUT ROBBIE breeding deals, settle for what's best for Robbie is a tarantula YouTuber and a musician you and what you want from it. living in London. If you'd like to see more from him, feel free to check out his YouTube channel or Instagram, Robbiestalkingts! 18
Photo credit: Robbie Mc Strummer
P. IRMINIA: MY PET HOLE An interview with Monika Reniero Monika has been keeping tarantulas for decades and has been passionate about spiders since childhood. Tell us about yourself! What does your collection look like now? I'm a metal head comic nerd, exotics keeping My collection right now is mainly Brachypelma. (spider and snakes) gramma. What’s your favorite tarantula or goal When/how did you get into tarantulas? spider? I've been into tarantulas/spiders since I was My favorite is Brachypelma hamorii. a kid. I collected ones from outside and kept them under my bed. I've always been amazed What inspired you to get a P. irminia? with these amazing creatures, from their colors I had to get a P. irminia cause of its beauty and to how they molt and spin webs. the tiger butt lol! Photo credit: Monika Reniero
Photo credit: Monika Reniero What’s been your experience Unfortunately the male was taken mist once a week, it's what I found with this spider? down which is a risk you take kept her happy. My experience with P. irminia is it's when pairing spiders. a pet hole lol. But I loved dropping Have you ever had a scary/ food at the top of its amazing web Would you recommend this challenging experience with this burrow and watching the lightning tarantula to a newer tarantula species? fast response, pouncing on its prey. owner? Why/why not? The only challenge I have had with I wouldn't recommend this as this species was when they were My female would come out a first tarantula as they are fast slings. Like I said, fast little buggers once in a blue moon to make an and the bite is more medically and ran up on me more than a few appearance as to say \"look how significant. times. It was fun trying to catch a P. beautiful I am.\" irminia sling off your body lol! Once you have owned tarantulas Do you have experience with for a while, I so recommend What’s the #1 tip you’d give for breeding in this species? getting this beauty, it's a must- caring for the P. irminia? I have bred this species before. have for serious collectors. #1 care tip, just make sure to mist It was a dance, that's how I can them once a week and be patient best describe it. Took them hours What care tips work well for having a pet hole. and hours of dancing and tapping this spider? before lock up. Care tips - an arboreal set up and
Photo credit: Monika Reniero
What’s your favorite thing about tarantula ]an egg sac and seeing all the adorable keeping? babies. There is so much that is my favorite about tarantula keeping. The whole experience ]There is so much I love about it, and the many species. I loved watching them grow from slings to adults. but all I can say is you need to experience it to fully understand Watching the webbers make their homes, the love a lot of people have for the borrowers digging a house. The whole these amazing creatures. molting process and how they regenerate pretty much everything. How they can ABOUT MONIKA regrow a body part (leg) if they have some- Monika is a long time tarantula keeper, having how lost one. How they have a mating kept tarantulas for decades, since she dance that can last hours. Watching the was in childhood! She is passionate about mama spider make her egg bowl and lay tarantula care and many other animals. her eggs, then seeing how caring and protective of a mother she is. Opening
Due to their defensive nature, many owners of P. irminia tarantulas will tap on the glass of the enclosure a few times to warn their spider before feedings, cleanings, or water refills.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
tarantula COMMU 26
Photo credit: Piqsels a In this section we highlight tarantula owners from around the world and share their experiences. To make a submission, email me! UNITY 27
I asked my Tarantula Heaven community to share their silliest/weirdest tarantula tales, and let's just say they didn't disappoint. I hope you find this charming collection of stories relatable and enjoyable! \"Rehousing my seladonia: So knocked over all the extra substrate I open the enclosure and look I had. Also let me remind you this around. It's in a corner. I take spider is 1 inch and all my other the top off, put it in a large tub ones are 6 inch to 7 inch monsters in case it bolts. I took a piece of and I'm scared of a little 1 inch guy.\" leaf, tapped it, it bolts, runs out - Zachary Solimeno the tub onto my shorts then up my shorts. I instantly strip to \"Who knew that tarantulas could nothing, my wife comes in like squirt poop onto your chest while on what the hell are you doing? I your hand. I was holding my pink toe am looking through my clothes, for the first time. So here I am sitting can't find anything. I pull my on my couch under my Pocahontas wallet out and BAM it comes out blanket overcoming my fear of the wallet. I joke he took a 20 spiders, letting her walk from one of out the wallet.\" - Charles Kruger my hands to my next and so on. All off a sudden I have this stuff hit me \"So I just got my first versicolor on my left breast and it turned out about a week ago. This is my to be spider poop. That shot about a first ever crazy spider I should foot from my hand onto my chest.\" say. I rehoused him into the - Eileen Orlando new enclosure and as I was going to grab the cup it jumped \"1. I got pooped on by my P. irminia. at my arm, barely missed but 2. My arachnophobic friend, not I about had a heart attack and
Photo Credit: Needpix.com
Silly Spiders, cont’d knowing I keep dropped the tong a T. or spider before (without squashing it tarantulas and she was like nope nope immediately or flinging it uncontrollably across walked into my room.... nope nope nope just a the room) - pretty decent arachnophobe 3. I have my tong ready hundred nope, you can here! After the initial teleport, it chilled out in the air with a meal have this tong I can just and casually strolled my hand and fingers worm and is about to go get a new one.\" for a few minutes as I panicked trying to figure feed my Chilobrachys - Gao Jeff out how to get it back in without squishing or guangxiensis. I know flinging. It took every ounce of control. After Chilobrachys sp are a minute - that felt like an eternity - it was done known to be skittish \"My Arizona blonde with its outing and just walked right back into and the dealer I got sling deliberately trolls its home! Little turd! But holy cow was I happy her from said she me with its water dish I got through it! Now I wish it would come out is psycho, though (I think). EVERY time more! Lol!\" - Shannon Hyde-Melcher I wasn’t actually I clean it out, the next expecting anything day I come home and too defensive from see it filled with dirt. her since the rehouse What a naughty little has been very smooth. spider!\" - Patricia Colli One day I saw some mold growing in the bottom of her burrow \"First time tarantula (her burrow isn’t deep) owner. My second and decided to use my feeding of my 0.5 inch C. versicolor and it tong to get them out decides it wants to haul since there aren’t too booty out of its little many. I put my tongs in, enclosure when I open accidentally poked her it. Up on my tongs, and she launched at the then finger, then hand. tongs and scared the I freaked out since heck out of me. Quickly I've never even held
Photo Credit: Piqsels.com Thank you all for sharing your stories!!!
I asked my Tarantula Heaven community to share photos of what their spiders have been doing since COVID-19 - and I loved the responses! Here is a collection of their amazing pets. Thank you to all who submitted! 32
Photo credit: Caitlyn Fai3th3
Photo credit: Blake Ross Photo credit: Blake Ross
Photo credit: Lori Jacobi
Photo credit: Ash Von Schaumburg
\"Settling into a new home is hard work so Benz is taking a well deserved roach break.\" Photo credit: Ash Von Schaumburg \"T. vagans doing post-molt spooder yoga.\" Photo credit: Ash Von Schaumburg
\"Grammostola rosea (she's called Namira) having her post-moult meal.\" Photo credit: Gemma Casa Wilks
Photo credit: Alixander Edwin
Photo credit: Linda Orambo
Photo credit: Linda Orambo
Photo credit: Shauna Ann Dudgeon Photo credit: Shauna Ann Dudgeon
Photo credit: Shauna Ann Dudgeon
\"Balancing.\" Photo credit: Sara Louise Hopkins
\"Hiding...ish!\" Photo credit: Sara Louise Hopkins
\"Perching...\" Photo credit: Sara Louise Hopkins
\"Just happened to catch Photo credit: Julie Arnold him laying over on his water dish.\" \"Then he molted shortly Photo credit: Julie Arnold after.\"
Photo credit: Shantel Marie Banks Photo credit: Shantel Marie Banks
Photo credit: Shanti Perez \"Post-ultimate male T. albopilosum named L'Elephant.\"
\"Haplocosmia himalayana.\" Photo credit: Shanti Perez
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