Reproduction and development of tarantulas. Spider - description, characteristics and photos Spider in the house: good or bad

Squad: Araneae = Spiders

The biology of spider reproduction in terms of the complexity and originality of the observed phenomena surpasses everything that is characteristic of other arachnids, and this is again due to the use of the web.

Sexually mature male spiders in lifestyle and appearance, as a rule, are very different from females, although in some cases males and females are similar. Usually the male is smaller than the female, with relatively longer legs, and sometimes males are dwarfed, 1000-1500 times smaller than females in volume. In addition to size, sexual dimorphism often manifests itself in certain secondary sexual characters: in the bright pattern of males, in the special shape of separate pairs of legs, etc. Males, as a rule, are less common than females, and in some species they were not found at all. At the same time, the virgin development of eggs in spiders seems to be the rarest exception. In web spiders, mature males usually no longer build trapping webs, but roam in search of females and are caught on the female's webs during a short mating period.

The internal organs of the reproductive system of spiders generally have a fairly common structure. The testicles are paired, the convoluted seminal ducts are connected near the genital opening, which in the male has the appearance of a small gap. The ovaries are paired, in some cases fused at the ends into a ring. Paired oviducts are connected to an unpaired organ - the uterus, which opens with an oviduct. The latter is covered by a folded elevation - the epigyne. There are seminal sacs - sacs from which the tubules depart to the excretory part of the genital tract and to the epigyne, where they usually open independently of the oviduct.

Aggregate organs are formed on the pedipalps of the male only during the last molt. Before mating, the male releases a drop of sperm from the genital opening onto a specially woven spider web, fills the copulatory organs of the pedipalps with sperm and, when mating, injects the sperm into the female's seminal receptacles with their help. In the simplest case, the tarsus of the pedipalps has a pear-shaped appendage - a bulb with a spiral spermatic canal inside (Fig. 35.5). The appendage is elongated into a thin spout - an embolus, at the end of which a canal opens. During mating, the embolus is inserted into the tubule of the female's seminal receptacle. In most cases, the copulatory organs are more complex, and the ways of their complication can be traced within the order and are somewhat different in different groups of spiders. The tarsi of the pedipalps are usually enlarged. The articular membrane of the bulbus turns into a blood receptacle, which at the time of mating bubble-like swells under the pressure of the hemolymph. The spermatic duct forms complex loops and opens at the end of a long embolus, flagellated or otherwise. Often there are additional appendages that serve to attach during mating. The structure of copulatory organs is very diverse in detail, characteristic of individual groups and species, and is widely used in the systematics of spiders.

The male fills the bulbs of the pedipalps with seed shortly after the last molt. The spermatic reticulum has a triangular or quadrangular shape and is suspended horizontally. In a drop of sperm allocated to her, the male immerses the ends of the pedipalps. It is believed that sperm penetrates through the narrow channel of the embolus due to capillarity, but it has now been established that at least forms with complex copulatory organs have a special seminiferous tubule. In some spiders, the male does not make a net, but stretches one or several cobwebs between the legs of the third pair, releases a drop of sperm onto the cobweb and brings it to the ends of the pedipalps. There are also species whose males take sperm directly from the genital opening.

The male with sperm-filled copulatory organs goes in search of the female, sometimes overcoming considerable distances. At the same time, he is guided mainly by the sense of smell. He distinguishes the odorous trace of a sexually mature female on the substrate and her web. Vision in most cases does not play a significant role: males with smeared eyes easily find females.

Having found the female, the male begins "courtship". Almost always, the excitation of the male is manifested in certain characteristic movements. The male twitches the threads of the female's web with his claws. The latter notices these signals and often rushes at the male as if it were prey, putting him to flight. Persistent "courtship", sometimes continuing for a very long time, makes the female less aggressive and prone to mating. Males of some species weave small "marriage nets" next to the female's nets, onto which they lure the female with rhythmic movements of the legs. For spiders that live in burrows, mating takes place in the burrow of the female.

In some species, repeated mating with several males and rivalry of males are observed, which gather on the female's nets and, trying to approach her, fight with each other. The most active one drives away rivals and mates with the female, and after a while another male takes his place, etc...

Spider (Araneae) belongs to the phylum Arthropoda, class Arachnida, order Spiders. Their first representatives appeared on the planet approximately 400 million years ago.

Spider - description, characteristics and photos

The body of arachnids consists of two parts:

• The cephalothorax is covered with a shell of chitin, with four pairs of long jointed legs. In addition to them, there is a pair of leg tentacles (pedipalps) used by sexually mature individuals for mating, and a pair of short limbs with poisonous hooks - chelicerae. They are part of the oral apparatus. The number of eyes in spiders ranges from 2 to 8.
• Abdomen with respiratory openings and six arachnoid warts for weaving webs.

The size of spiders, depending on the species, ranges from 0.4 mm to 10 cm, and the span of the limbs can exceed 25 cm.

The coloration and pattern on individuals of different species depend on the structural structure of the integument of scales and hairs, as well as the presence and localization of various pigments. Therefore, spiders can have both a dull solid color and a bright color of various shades.

Types of spiders, names and photos

More than 42,000 species of spiders have been described by scientists. About 2900 varieties are known on the territory of the CIS countries. Consider several varieties:

• blue-green tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens)

one of the most spectacular and beautiful in color spiders. The belly of the tarantula is red-orange, the limbs are bright blue, the carapace is green. The dimensions of the tarantula are 6-7 cm, with a span of up to 15 cm. The spider is native to Venezuela, but this spider is found in Asia and the African continent. Despite belonging to tarantulas, this type of spider does not bite, but only throws special hairs located on the abdomen, and even then in case of severe danger. For humans, the hairs are not dangerous, but cause small burns on the skin, resembling a nettle burn in effect. Surprisingly, female spiders are long-lived compared to males: the life expectancy of a female spider is 10-12 years, while males live only 2-3 years.

• flower spider (Misumena vatia)

belongs to the family of sidewalk spiders (Thomisidae). The color varies from completely white to bright lemon, pink or greenish. Male spiders are small, 4-5 mm long, females reach sizes of 1-1.2 cm. The species of flower spiders is distributed throughout European territory (excluding Iceland), and is found in the USA, Japan, and Alaska. The spider lives in open areas, with an abundance of flowering herbs, as it feeds on the juices of butterflies and bees caught in its "embrace".

• Grammostola pulchra (Grammostola Pulchra)

Sidewalk spiders (crab spiders) spend most of their lives sitting on flowers waiting for prey, although some members of the family can be found on tree bark or forest floor.

Representatives of the funnel spider family place their web on tall grass and shrub branches.

Wolf spiders prefer damp, grassy meadows and swampy woodlands, where they are found in abundance among fallen leaves.

The water (silver) spider builds a nest under water, attaching it with the help of cobwebs to various bottom objects. He fills his nest with oxygen and uses it as a diving bell.

What do spiders eat?

Spiders are rather original creatures that feed very interestingly. Some species of spiders may not eat for a long time - from a week to a month or even a year, but if they start, then there will be little left. Interestingly, the weight of food that all spiders can eat during the year is several times more than the mass of the entire population living on the planet today.
How and what do spiders eat? Depending on the type and size, spiders get food and eat differently. Some spiders weave a web, thereby organizing ingenious traps that are very difficult for insects to notice. Digestive juice is injected into the caught prey, corroding it from the inside. After a while, the “hunter” draws the resulting “cocktail” into the stomach. Other spiders “spit” sticky saliva during the hunt, thereby attracting prey to them.

The basis of the diet of spiders are insects. Small spiders are happy to eat flies, mosquitoes, crickets, butterflies, mealworms, cockroaches, grasshoppers. Spiders that live on the surface of the soil or in burrows eat beetles and orthoptera, and some species are able to drag a snail or earthworm into their dwelling and eat them quietly there.

The queen spider hunts only at night, creating a sticky web bait for careless moths. Noticing an insect near the bait, the spinning queen quickly swings the thread with her paws, thereby attracting the attention of the victim. The moth happily curls around such a bait, and touching it, immediately remains hanging on it. As a result, the spider can easily pull it towards itself and enjoy the prey.

Large tropical tarantulas are happy to hunt small frogs, lizards, other spiders, mice, including bats, as well as small birds.

And such a species of spiders as Brazilian tarantulas can easily hunt medium-sized snakes and snakes.

Aquatic species of spiders get their food from the water, catching tadpoles, small fish or midges floating on the surface of the water with the help of a web. Some spiders, which are predators, due to the lack of prey, can also get enough of plant food, which includes pollen or plant leaves.

Harvest spiders prefer grains of cereals.

Judging by the numerous notes of scientists, a huge number of spiders destroy small rodents and insects several times more than animals living on the planet.

How does a spider spin its web?

In the back of the spider's abdomen, there are from 1 to 4 pairs of arachnoid glands (arachnoid warts), from which a thin thread of the web stands out. This is a special secret, which in our time, many call liquid silk. Coming out of thin spinning tubes, it hardens in the air, and the resulting thread is so thin that it is quite difficult to see it with the naked eye.

In order to weave a web, the spider spreads its spinning organs, after which it waits for a light breeze so that the spun web catches on a nearby support. After this happens, he moves along the newly created bridge with his back down and begins to weave a radial thread.

When the base is created, the spider moves in a circle, weaving transverse thin threads into its “product”, which are quite sticky.

It is worth noting that spiders are quite economical creatures, so they absorb the damaged or old web, after which they reuse it.

And the old web becomes very fast, as the spider weaves it almost every day.

Web types

There are several types of webs that differ in shape:

• The round web is the most common type, endowed with a minimum number of threads. Thanks to this weaving, it turns out to be inconspicuous, but not always elastic enough. From the center of such a web, radial cobwebs diverge, connected by spirals with a sticky base. Usually, round spider webs are not very large, but tropical tree spiders are capable of weaving such traps, reaching two meters in diameter.

• Web in the form of a cone: such a web is weaved by a funnel spider. Usually he creates his trapping funnel in tall grass, while he himself hides in its narrow base, waiting for prey.

• The zigzag web is its "author" a spider from the genus Argiope.

• Spiders from the Dinopidae spinosa family weave a web right between their limbs, and then simply throw it on the approaching victim.

• Spider Bolas ( Mastophora cornigera) weaves a thread of a web, on which there is a sticky ball with a diameter of 2.5 mm. With this ball, impregnated with female moth pheromones, the spider attracts prey - a moth. The victim falls for the bait, flies closer to it and sticks to the ball. After that, the spider calmly pulls the victim towards itself.

• Spiders of Darwin ( Caaerostris darwini), living on the island of Madagascar, weave giant webs, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bwhich ranges from 900 to 28,000 square meters. cm.

The web can also be divided according to the principle of responsibility of its weaving and type:

• household - from such a web, spiders make cocoons and the so-called doors for a dwelling;
• strong - its spiders use it for weaving nets, with the help of which the main hunt will be carried out;
• sticky - it goes only to prepare jumpers in trapping nets and sticks so strongly when touched that it is very difficult to remove it.

Spider breeding

As the spiders grow, from time to time they shed their tight chitinous shell and overgrow with a new one. They can shed up to 10 times in their lifetime. Spiders are dioecious individuals, and the female is much larger than the male. During the mating season, which lasts from mid-autumn to early spring, the male fills the bulbs at the ends of his pedipalps with sperm and goes in search of a female. After performing the "nuptial dance" and fertilization, the male spider hastily retreats and dies after a while.

After two and a half months, the female spider lays eggs, and after 35 days small spiders appear, living until the first molt in the web. Females reach sexual maturity at 3-5 years of age.

Among spiders, only poisonous ones are dangerous to humans. On the territory of the CIS countries, there is one such species - karakurt, or black widow.

With a timely injection of a special serum, the bite passes without consequences.

Recently, it has become fashionable to keep spiders at home. For beginners, a white-haired tarantula is recommended, which is a harmless representative of the arachnid class.

• According to statistics, 6% of the world's population suffer from arachnophobia - the fear of spiders. Particularly sensitive natures panic when they see a spider in a photo or on TV.
• Terrifying-looking spiders - tarantulas, with a paw span of up to 17 cm, are actually calm and non-aggressive, thanks to which they have earned the fame of popular pets. However, owners must protect their pets from stress, otherwise the spider sheds its bright hairs, which cause an allergic reaction in humans.
• The most poisonous spiders are black widows, their variety is karakurt, as well as Brazilian soldier spiders. The poison of these spiders, containing powerful neurotoxins, instantly attacks the victim's lymphatic system, which in most cases leads to cardiac arrest.
• Many mistakenly believe that tarantula venom is fatal to humans. In fact, a tarantula sting causes only a slight swelling, similar to a wasp sting.
• Crab wall spiders, named Selenopidae in Latin after the Greek goddess of the moon, move sideways as well as backwards.
• Jumping spiders are excellent jumpers, especially over long distances. As a safety net, the spider attaches a silk web thread to the landing site. In addition, this type of spider can climb glass.
• While chasing a prey, some species of spiders can run almost 2 km in 1 hour without stopping.
• Fishing spiders have the ability to glide across the water like water striders.
• Most species of spiders have an individual form of woven web. House (funnel) spiders weave webs in the form of a funnel; angular webs are characteristic of dictine weaver spiders. The web of nicodama spiders looks like a sheet of paper.
• Lynx spiders are distinguished by a property that is uncharacteristic of spiders: protecting the masonry, females spit for the threat of poison, although this poison does not pose a danger to humans.
• Female wolf spiders are very caring mothers. Until the children gain independence, the mother "carries" the cubs on herself. Sometimes there are so many spiders that only 8 eyes remain open on the spider's body.
• The burial New Zealand spider is immortalized in cinematography thanks to the director Peter Jackson, who used this species as a prototype of the Shelob spider.
• Very beautiful flower spiders lie in wait for prey on flowers, and adult females, as a disguise, change their color depending on the color of the petals.
• The history of mankind is closely intertwined with the image of the spider, which is reflected in many cultures, mythology and art. Each nation has its own traditions, legends and signs associated with spiders. Spiders are even mentioned in the Bible.
• In symbolism, the spider personifies deceit and immense patience, and the poison of the spider is considered a curse that brings misfortune and death.

Spider breeding

Today, more and more often, our compatriots have exotic pets in their homes and, moreover, decide not only to take care of them, but also to breed them. But, as you yourself understand, if the features of its content are one thing (not a too complicated science that requires you, first of all, desire and skills), then breeding spiders is a completely different, more complex and responsible task. . If you are not afraid of difficulties, and have set yourself such a goal as breeding spiders (quite a profitable occupation, by the way), you have the strength and desire, and time and opportunity, then our publication will help you, which we decided to devote to questions breeding spiders at home. So, be patient and attentive - today you will learn a lot of useful and interesting information, and how you learn it will depend on whether you can breed spiders in your terrarium or not ...

Physiology of house spiders

In fact, the physiology, and indeed the biology of reproduction of domestic spiders, are topics that have been little studied. There are general data, based on which we can draw some conclusions. So, for example, young spiders, regardless of their gender, lead a similar lifestyle, and it is almost impossible to distinguish them by behavior. True, the hint to the owner of the spiders and the answer to the question - where is the female spider and where is the male - is the appearance of such an exotic pet. So,

sexually mature males, as a rule, always have a bright color, proportional and elongated legs, a special arrangement of pedipalps, and are distinguished by great mobility.

By the way, they reach puberty earlier than females, which look somewhat gray against the background of such bright “men”, behave awkwardly, and are characterized by inactivity. For male spiders, this is 1.5 years, for females, this period of puberty occurs when she is 2-3 years old.

Such a time gap in matters of puberty excludes the possibility of inbreeding.

Features of the behavior of male spiders

Before mating begins, a mature male spider begins to weave a special web, which has a 3- or 4-angled shape. On the underside of such a web, he releases a drop of inseminating fluid. After such a “network” in every sense of the word is ready, the male proceeds to search for a female. His behavior becomes overly active, he moves around the terrarium day and night ...

In nature, during this period, male spiders can even cover a distance of 9 kilometers per night in order to find a female.

The spider is looking for the "lady of the heart" in a very interesting way - using only the organs of touch. He follows the trail of the female and almost always finds her. But, it is quite clear that in the conditions of living in a terrarium - whether he will find a female for mating or not - will depend on you, as the owner of the spider.

Spider mating

If you seriously decide to start breeding spiders, then take care of a neutral territory for mating these creatures and a female spider in advance. And, after you notice that your spider has begun to weave a ritual web - start trying to cross spiders. To do this, first place a female spider in a neutral terrarium, and then a male spider.

If the female spider has other plans and the “children” item is not included in them, most likely she will attack the male spider. In this case, it is recommended to immediately resettle the male from the terrarium. Since the struggle between spiders for territory - the female now perceives the male as a potential invader of her square centimeters, may end in the death of one of the spiders or self-mutilation and severed limbs. By the way, many mistakenly think that the female eats the male spider. Well, it doesn't always happen that way. If the male pack is strong enough - he can handle the female and then, instead of thinking where to attach the little spiders, you will think about where to get another female, instead of the one that died in the paws of the male spider.

If the female spider is ready to mate, she will initially simply ignore the male. The task of that will be to attract her attention with a ritual dance, and lure the female out of the shelter, where she could hide at the sight of an alien spider. After that, the male begins to carefully approach the female, who will behave quite calmly. Although, there are cases when the female herself attracted the male spider by drumming her paws on the substrate. After such an “invitation”, the spider begins the mating process, which lasts for several seconds. At the end of them, he quickly runs away to the other end of the terrarium, as the spider can change her mood and attack him. It is recommended to transplant the male immediately after mating, in order to avoid unpleasant incidents.

At one time, the male is able to fertilize several females. Similarly, a female can mate with several males in one season.

Features of the behavior of the female spider

The structure of the female spider

Depending on many factors - the season, the temperature in the terrarium, the humidity index, the availability of food, and the fertilization of eggs in the uterus can occur 1-8 months after mating.

The female lays eggs and wraps them into a cocoon. The cocoon itself consists of 2 parts, fastened with edges. It is noteworthy that in order to protect against enemies, some types of spiders weave their protective hairs into the walls of the cocoon.

The female spider is very careful about her egg laying and monitors the cocoon, turns it over and can move with it inside the terrarium. In fact, there is a completely logical explanation for this behavior of hers - depending on the indicators of humidity and temperature, the female is looking for optimally comfortable conditions for her spiderlings.

If you want your venture to be successful and small spiders to appear, try not to irritate the female during this period, and protect her from stress. Since there are cases when, as a result of an experienced nervous shock, a spider ate her cocoon.

By the way, some spider breeders practice ... to take on maternal functions and after the female lays down the clutch and braids it with cobwebs, they take the cocoon from the terrarium and place it in a special container, turn such a cocoon over several times a day and monitor the humidity and temperature . I would like to warn you right away that such an “incubator” is a very difficult task, therefore, we do not undertake to guarantee that you will cope with maternal duties better than the spider itself.

There are also cases when a female spider mating field laid several cocoons with a time interval of several weeks.

As for the number of eggs in such clutches, this is 30-60 eggs, but the female spider Lasiodor parahubana can lay 2500 eggs at a time!

The incubation period of eggs also depends on the type of pack itself, but on average it ranges from several weeks to 4 months. Moreover, the eggs of arboreal spider species mature faster than those of terrestrial spider species.

The appearance of small spiders

Cocoon with spiders

When little spiders are born, they measure 3-5 millimeters, and 1.5 centimeters in leg span. Newborn spiders of arboreal species are larger than terrestrial ones, and their number is less. They are distinguished by great mobility and shyness. The slightest danger, rustle, or movement - for them serve as a signal to dig deeper into the substrate of the terrarium.

The very process of the birth of spiders is very interesting. In embryos, on the eve of this event, egg teeth are formed at the bases of the pedipalps, with the help of which they tear the egg shell from the inside. But, now they are very weak, their appendages are not dissected, the covers are thin, and they feed on the yolk sac that remains in the intestine. After the first molt inside the egg, claws appear on the legs of the spider and chelicerae develop. It's time for him to show up. He experiences the next molt already postembryonally, and now he is active, able to feed on his own baby. By the way, after his birth, it is better to plant him out of the mother's terrarium, since now the spider will perceive her little spiders not as her children, but as food. What can you do, such laws of Nature...

Sexually mature males in the way of life and appearance in most species are very different from females. In many species, the males are brightly colored. They are usually smaller, have proportionately more elongated legs, a different arrangement of pedipalps, and also differ from females in much greater mobility.

Sexual maturity of males occurs earlier than that of females. The average maturity of males is 1.5 years, in females it occurs no earlier than 2 years (in some species, the difference is even more divergent in time - 1.5 and 3 years, respectively), therefore, in fact, it seems impossible to "closely related" crossing of spiders that emerged from one cocoon, in natural conditions. However, this is possible in captivity when growing males and females by artificially creating for them different temperature and humidity conditions and feeding regimes from an early age.

A mature male before mating weaves the so-called sperm - web, which, as a rule, has a triangular or quadrangular shape, on the lower side of which he releases a drop of sperm. The sperm is captured by the copulatory apparatus, after which the male proceeds to search for the female. At this time, his behavior is directly opposite to that of the previous period of life. He leads a vagrant lifestyle, is highly active and can be seen moving even in the daytime, covering rather significant distances in search of a female (7-9 km per night ( Shillington et al. 1997).

The detection of the female occurs mainly due to touch (vision in no way affects this process: spiders with smeared eyes easily find females) by the odorous trail left by her on the substrate or web at the hole (for example, the female Aphonopelma hentzi at the entrance to the hole weaves a ball from the web).

Having found the female, the male cautiously moves inside the hole. When meeting with a female, two scenarios are possible.

In the first variant, if the female is not ready to mate, she swiftly attacks the male, spreading her chelicerae and preparing to grab him. In this case, the male is forced to hastily retreat, otherwise he may not be perceived as a potential partner, but risks turning into a “hearty dinner”, or losing one or more limbs.
In the second scenario, the female, as a rule, does not initially show any interest in the male. In this case, the male lowers the cephalothorax and raises the abdomen, stretching forward the spaced forelegs and pedipalps, backing away in the direction of the exit from the hole, thereby attracting the attention of the female and, as it were, inviting her to follow him. From time to time he stops and moves his front legs and pedipalps now to the right, then to the left, trembling with his whole body so that the female's interest in him does not weaken until they leave the hole and come to the surface. Here, having space for safe movement, he feels more confident.

Unlike other species of spiders, which are characterized by complex mating behavior, consisting in the performance of peculiar "wedding dances", for example, species of families Araneidae, Salticidae, Lycosidae, or in offering to a female of recently killed prey (in Pisauridae), courtship of tarantulas is relatively simpler.

The male periodically carefully approaches the female, quickly touches her with the tips of the front pair of legs and pedipalps or “drums” on the substrate. He usually repeats this procedure several times with slight interruptions until he is convinced that the behavior of the female does not pose a danger to him, and she will not harm him (until now, studies have not been carried out regarding the presence of features characteristic of the mating behavior of various species tarantulas).

If the female is still passive, the male will slowly approach her, bringing his front paws between her pedipalps and chelicerae, which the female usually pushes apart when ready to mate. Then he, as it were, rests against them with his tibial hooks in order to take a stable position and tilts back her cephalothorax, “stroking” the lower surface of the base of the abdomen.

If the female expresses her readiness to mate (which is also often expressed in frequent "drum" sound emitted by kicking the feet on the substrate), he unfolds the embolus of one of the pedipalps and introduces it into the gonoporelocated in epigastric groove. The male performs the same action with the second pedipalp. This is actually the very moment of copulation, which lasts literally a few seconds, after which the male, as a rule, quickly runs away, since usually the female immediately begins to pursue him.

Contrary to popular belief that a female often eats her partner after mating, in most cases this does not happen (in fact, cases of eating females by males are known) if there is enough space for him to retire a considerable distance, and the male is able to after some time to fertilize several more females. Often also a female mates with different males in one season.

fertilization egg-stealing takes place in uterus with which they communicate seminal receptacles, and after a certain period copulation(from 1 to 8 months), the duration of which is directly dependent on various conditions (season, temperature, humidity, food availability) and the specific type of tarantula, the female lays eggs, braiding them in cocoon. This whole process takes place in the living chamber of the burrow, which turns into a nest. The cocoon, as a rule, consists of two parts, fastened by the edges. First, the main part is woven, then the masonry is laid on it, which is then woven with the covering part. Some species ( Avicularia spp., Theraphosa blondi) weave their “protective hairs” into the walls of the cocoon to protect it from possible enemies.

Unlike most other spiders, the female tarantula guards her clutch and cares for the cocoon, periodically turning it over with the help of chelicerae and pedipalps and moving it depending on changes in humidity and temperature conditions. This is associated with certain difficulties with the artificial incubation of spider eggs at home, which is often advisable, since it is not uncommon for females to eat laid cocoons, both as a result of stress caused by anxiety, and "for unknown reasons." For this purpose, collectors from the USA, Germany, England and Australia have developed an incubator, and some fanciers, taking cocoons from females, take over their "mother" functions by turning the cocoon by hand several times a day (see also Breeding).

Interestingly, for several species of tarantulas, the facts of laying are known after mating one after another of several (one or two) cocoons with a time difference, as a rule, no more than a month: Hysterocrates spp.., Stromatopelma spp., Holothele spp., Psalmopoeus spp.., Tapinauchenius spp.., Metriopelma spp.., Pterinochilus spp.. (Rick West, 2002, oral communication), Ephebopus murinus and E. cyanognathus (Alex Huyer, 2002, oral communication), Poecilotheria regalis (Jan Evenow, 2002, oral communication). At the same time, the percentage of unfertilized eggs increases significantly in repeated clutches.

The number of eggs laid by a female varies from species to species and is related to her size, age, and other factors. Record number of eggs known for the species Lasiodora parahybana and is approximately 2500 pieces! On the contrary, in small species it does not exceed 30-60. Incubation periods are also different - from 0.8 to 4 months. Interestingly, arboreal species generally have shorter life spans than terrestrial species (see table).

Arboreal, even such large spiders as Poecilotheria spp.. , as well as tarantulas of the genus Pterinochilus live no more than 7 - 14 years. Large terrestrial, and especially American spiders, live in captivity up to 20 years, and according to individual reports, even to a more respectable age (for example, the age of the female Brachypelma emilia who lived at S. A. Shults and M. J. Schultz, was estimated at least 35 years).

The life expectancy of males is significantly less and, in the general case, is limited to 3-3.5 years. The fact is that males, as mentioned above, mature earlier than females (1.5-2.5 years), and, as a rule, the average lifespan of male tarantulas of the last age (after the last molt) is five to six months. However, for individual specimens of a number of species, much longer periods are known.

Yes, according to Dr. Claudio Lipari, the life limits of males of the last age of the Brazilian Grammostola pulchra amounted to at least 27 months, and one copy lived with him for more than four years.

Other centenarians among last-age male tarantulas reported Luciana Rosa, the following:

Grammostola rosea- 18 months, Megaphobema velvetosoma - 9 months, Poecilotheria formosa- 11 months, Poecilotheria ornata- 13 months Poecilotheria rufilata - 17 months.

According to the Moscow collector Igor Arkhangelsky male of last age Brachypelma vagans lived in captivity 24 months(however, the last few months it was fed artificially), and another individual of the same species lived 20 months.

According to a Canadian scientist Rika Vesta adult male tarantula Phormictopus cancerides lived at Allana McKee, having lost the upper segments of the pedipalps after molting, 27 months, and the male Brachypelma albopilosum at the very Rika Vesta - 30 months after maturity and died during the second molt (personal communication).

The following facts of longevity among male tarantulas have been noted Lasiodora parahybana : 3 years Jeff Lee, 2 years 6 months Joey Reed and 2 years 3 months Jim Hitchiner.

Also the male of the species Grammostola rosea lived 2 years 5 months Jay Staples.
There is a unique case when an amateur Jay Stotsky small arboreal male Poecilotheria regalis successfully molted twice! at the last age, with an interval between molts in 18 months. At the same time, the pedipalps and one chelicera lost during the first molt fully recovered after the second molt!

It should be true to say that such cases are known only when keeping tarantulas in captivity.

Regarding the onset of puberty in tarantulas, there is the following, often conflicting information.

Male tarantulas of the genus Avicularia reach sexual maturity by 2.5 years, females - by 3 years ( Stradling 1978, 1994). Baerg (Baerg, 1928, 1958) reports that males Aphonopelma spp.. reach sexual maturity at 10-13 years, females - at 10-12 years. tarantulas Grammostola burzaquensis become sexually mature at 6 years of age Ibarra Grasso, 1961), Acanthoscurria sternalis - at 4-6 years old ( Galiano 1984, 1992).

The information given by these authors most likely relates to observations in nature. At the same time, it should be taken into account that in captivity, the timing of the onset of puberty of tarantulas is generally reduced, and often quite significantly.

In conclusion, I would like to note that tarantulas in captivity actually have no natural enemies.