mammon wrote: @ Mr Stanley A. Schultz
I was thinking its Grammostola because of the mirror patch and thanks to Hendrik's link ,the photo of a pulchra in its brown phase with the 2 tone brown legs looks identical.
www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?p=1758548

Not much variety here in SA so chances are its the most obvious

Which other genera did you have in mind that have the mirror patch ...

Now you have me confused. What are you calling a "mirror patch?" Are you referring to the patch of urticating bristles? A lot of New World tarantulas possess such a patch, and it is frequently colored differently or of a different texture, or glossier than the other more permanent bristles. The TYPE of urticating bristles that comprise that patch may be an important diagnostic character, but not necessarily the color, texture, or glossiness.

mammon wrote: ... on the abdomen and maybe even the 2 tone brown colour ?

I think all of the following have brown species and the stocky, terrestrial body habitus.
Aphonopelma
Brachypelma
Crassicrus
Grammostola
Pamphobeteus
And almost surely several others I can't think of at the moment.

Color and pattern are among of worst ways to try to identify a tarantula. ("Picture keying" also called "photo IDing," is the other worst way!) At the very best you might be able to use these characters as ways to rule out various species (e.g., your mystery tarantula probably isn't B. smithi, G. rosea, or C. cyaneopubescens), but even that is tricky.

You might try contacting some of the theraphosid taxonomists in Europe about sending them a shed skin when it finally produces one, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. Many taxonomists simply don't want to be bothered, and others won't expend the effort unless you can at least tell them what country it came from, which of course is part of the mystery.

Best of luck! Enjoy your charming, beautiful, large, brown, hairy, mystery spider! :laugh:

'Mirror patch' is a term i used as learnt from US members on Arachnoboards.
www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=38919

Where the bristles are missing on the abdomen the surface appears very glossy and almost reflective
This Characteristic seems only present on Grammostolas from what i have read ,so thats why i assumed it to be so.

Thank you very much for your input

Molted out :woohoo:

wow nice!

:woohoo: STUNNING :woohoo:

From brown to black??? How does this work? Im confused