I'm with Kent on this one. Thanks Vincent!
I write it off to lack of experience but sexing and maturity have always been grey areas for me. I guess it'll come with hands on experience but in the meantime I read all I can find and every view/opinion sheds a little more light.

Re the P. regalis stripe: It develops over time ,and is visible from about 7-13cm DLS P. striata on the other hand has a stripe from early on that fades over time. There are always exceptions, but this is what my own spiders showed me.

Sexual dimorphism is species related. Some species you can see the difference from quite early on, whilst others it is a case of unsexed - molt- BAM Mature Male/ Female.

Very, very generally speaking both male and female molt at about the same intervals (males sometimes faster (anecdotal) until the male molts mature with (sometimes) hooks, always bulbs amongst other things. The female keeps molting, further establishing adult colouration and the male dies before or during the next molt.

I have read that the female becomes sexually mature at the same molt interval (instar) the male matures, but I haven't tested this against spermatheca colouration. Physical maturity is when the molt intervals become really long, and negligible growth is gained by the molt. Maintenance molts basically.

The darkness of the inner part of the folio on the dorsal part of the abdomen in Some pokies is a good indication, but I wouldn't sex a spider as Female this way if I wanted to sell it. Especially P striata. They're assholes with the stripes. Mature females have a very light center part, but by the time you can use this as a sure way of knowing, the males would have matured anyway.

H guys.

Thanks for all these questions.
Lots of ones I have been wanting to ask but always forget. ....

I have one, if it is ok?

My B.boehmei molted last night.
It is now 6.5 cm.
Here is a pic of the molt.
My questions are:
1. Can you sex from this molt?
2. Why are the molts always "destroyed like this? Is it because of the small size?

Thanks.




Sent from my GT-N7100 a long time ago and far, far away.....

Yes you should be able to sex it at that size.

It is just the way they molt, when your spiders get bigger you will get nicer molts out or them.

But as the molts dry the they curl up and stick together.

Thank you.
So basically I have to "catch" the molts as soon as possible after the fact to be able to get a nice one.

Sent from my GT-N7100 a long time ago and far, far away.....

Tough to say from the pic without knowing what's hidden above the only booklung I can see. I suspect the goods are hidden in there.

Try this - works for me:
1. Place the molt on a moist hand towel.
2. Place one drop of dishwashing liquid on the area. Less than a drop if you can. This helps lubricate so the flaps slide off each other more easily. Too much though and the weaker parts will just disintegrate.
3. Using the head part of two pins, one in each hand, start unfolding the used-to-be abdomen from the carapace side from the center of the rearmost legs working in a line towards the spinnerets.
You should end up with the flattened 4 book lungs area, or what's left of them. Now you can locate the spot between the top book lungs and take it from there.

Some say it's a ready, soft source of fluids and chitin. Perhaps it is an evolutionary response to something else having learnt to look for molts to find spiders for eating. Some arboreal spiders can't wait to chuck out the molt as far away from the 'nest' as possible. Some just chew it up and web it up as part of the nest decor.

Good luck!