# Chilean Red Devil Harvestman



## AbraxasComplex (Sep 3, 2008)

So I have had these beautiful little Opiliones for nearly a year, imported them last March. This species is Metagyndes innata and is found in Chile. 

The males and females are sexually dimorphic. The males have horn like appendages, creating a more impressive thorn like display.

Here are a couple:



















Over the last few months I have been seeing interesting behavior. The males started creating harems of 4 to 7 females. Each male was found within the center of a cluster of females. They were overprotective and forced any mateless males away. A few weeks later I witnessed this:










Females guarded their cluster of eggs prodigiously, never straying even when I disturbed them by flipping over the piece of cork bark. Most clusters were found on pieces of wood/bark in an upside down position. None were on the substrate or verticle pieces of wood. After a couple months the eggs started turning black and began to hatch. The newly hatched babies tended to crowd around their mother and hide under her body segment when startled. Over time they dispersed. 

I now how over 100 of these little guys. So cute. The only way I saw these miniscule guys was when they moved. Their near translucent bodies reflected light.


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## 118-118 (Dec 16, 2008)

oh wow, fascinating how do u keep them what do they eat?


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## chris_wade (May 23, 2006)

something different. look pretty funky. tell us some more about them


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## Tan (May 7, 2008)

Now they are very pretty and I like the pics. I have never seen these before. Any more info??


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## sandwell-x (Sep 2, 2008)

wow never seen or heard of them before as said befor how do u look after them etc


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## AbraxasComplex (Sep 3, 2008)

The are primarily a scavenger, but they can kill small prey.

I feed them carrots, grapes, avocado, strawberries, fish food, springtails, and squished crickets (and the odd live one). 

They do well at room temperature (68-72'F/19-21'C), but die quickly when it reaches higher temperatures (usually 80'F and higher for extended periods).

I have no idea on lifespan, but I expect they take 1 year to reach a decent size, then another year to finish the first breeding/gestation period. So atleast 2 years, maybe more.


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## AbraxasComplex (Sep 3, 2008)




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## sandwell-x (Sep 2, 2008)

AbraxasComplex said:


>


 
wow in a strange way they seem cool


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## 118-118 (Dec 16, 2008)

I only have one more question how much?

I want................lol


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## mant01 (Aug 23, 2008)

They look crazy....in a good way :lol2: Some amazing stuff about!


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## Zak (Jan 7, 2008)

Haha GRB's gonna crap himself when he see's theres. He's studying harvestman at the minute and they're his favourite.

They look like little tanks!


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## Kathryn666 (Dec 16, 2007)

They are amazing!!!! They almost look like an animation with their armour type bodies. Wow, thanks for sharing, they are really interesting


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## AbraxasComplex (Sep 3, 2008)

They really are interesting. I only have one species and now that I have had some success keeping them and single handedly introduced the Canadian hobby to them (I'm being ever so modest :halo, many arachnid keepers in Western Canada want to get their hands on some. A large amount have my excess males... I imported 100 in and only recieved about 35 females, and since the males are mildly territorial what am I going to do with 65 males? I actually had a group of keepers arguing over my decision to keep all the females and try to breed them. 


Now I want to acquire a few more species. There is one from Brazil/Suriname that is striped yellow and black. Other species have blue/purple tints and have odd horns, or spikes all over them. I hope to breed them as well. 

Their communal tendencies are quite interesting to watch.


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## GRB (Jan 24, 2008)

AbraxasComplex said:


> They really are interesting. I only have one species and now that I have had some success keeping them and single handedly introduced the Canadian hobby to them (I'm being ever so modest :halo, many arachnid keepers in Western Canada want to get their hands on some. A large amount have my excess males... I imported 100 in and only recieved about 35 females, and since the males are mildly territorial what am I going to do with 65 males? I actually had a group of keepers arguing over my decision to keep all the females and try to breed them.
> 
> 
> Now I want to acquire a few more species. There is one from Brazil/Suriname that is striped yellow and black. Other species have blue/purple tints and have odd horns, or spikes all over them. I hope to breed them as well.
> ...


Heh, nice set up you have.

I love these animals - as Zak already said I use them in my studies at Uni. Some of the tropical species are really crazy - theres some with massive claws that feed only on snails and they are rather cool.

I tried with some success to keep the UK native ones in the lab, but the young were so hard to rear. Then again, I was using individual containers that were less than ideal. Hopefully some of these tropical species will arrive in the UK, I think the ease with which they can be kept would make them a great beginner pet for arachnophiles...


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## iiisecondcreep (Oct 29, 2007)

About ten years ago I worked in this exotics place, and my boss went over to Trinidad and brought back a bunch of bugs. One day when I was in feeding back the stick insects he brought back I found this pair of incredibly weird looking arachnids. I had never seen anything like them, and no one that worked there knew what they were or even that they were in with the stickies.
The day I found them ended up being my last so I never did find out what happened to them or what they were, UNTIL NOW!

Ok I still don't know exactly what they were but those things are the closest thing I've seen to them. They were more triangular in shape though and their rear end was flat and had yellow and black stripes.
But the legs were pretty similair, they walked very strangely as well like someone had stuck their legs on wrong.
More like the shape of this thing I just found:
Catalogue of Organisms: Taxon of the Week: <i>Cynortula</i>, <i>Cynortula</i>

Anyway, cool little beasts


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## macro junkie (Oct 27, 2007)

shame u live in Canada..i would love to photograph them..


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## kamakazecat (Jun 8, 2008)

sweet! i want some!


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## 118-118 (Dec 16, 2008)

kamakazecat said:


> sweet! i want some!


Im looking but cant seem to find any....GRRRR:bash:


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## kamakazecat (Jun 8, 2008)

118-118 said:


> Im looking but cant seem to find any....GRRRR:bash:


don't worry. by the power of greyskull, we WILL find them.


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## 118-118 (Dec 16, 2008)

kamakazecat said:


> don't worry. by the power of greyskull, we WILL find them.


My names not Adam, its Will, bit i hope WILL WILL find them. lol

Any help is apprechiated,


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## AbraxasComplex (Sep 3, 2008)

macro junkie said:


> shame u live in Canada..i would love to photograph them..


 
Yah, I have a friend who has a macro lens on his camera... I might get him to take a few.


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## Harbinger (Dec 20, 2008)

Be great to see some interesting harvestman species in england someday


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## Ashley cook (Sep 13, 2008)

look almost alien


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## Harbinger (Dec 20, 2008)

Out of curiosity can you show us a pic of their set up by any chance?


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## ty12t2 (Dec 5, 2010)

*Are you selling?*

:2thumb:Is there a chance you would sell maybe a pair or more, I know it's been a while but I thought I might ask.


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## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

Moving back on topic... :whistling2:

They are strange looking things. :lol2:


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## Biggys (Jun 6, 2010)

_TiMiSdRuNk_ said:


> pointless comment removed


there crazy looking little thing ain't they


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