# Tarantulas available 20 years ago...



## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Was having a good natter to DR3D (Noel) when we went to his the other day. Both him and my other half used to have tarantulas known as zebra spiders when they were younger and these were the only thing available in shops along with G.rosea.

Just out of interest we have tried to track down the so called Zebra spider but am struggling to do so. Have looked at A.geniculata and N.chromatus and none show a match. In my old tarantula guide book written in 1987 it suggested that they could be A.seemani.

So i was wondering if anyone knew what these docile pet species actually were as we havent been able to find any info lmao.


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## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

I wasn't even born then.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

vivalabam said:


> I wasn't even born then.


Lol the book was written the year i was born and was brought by my mum when she brought her 1st T from a shop


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## _TiMiSdRuNk_ (Aug 27, 2008)

vivalabam said:


> I wasn't even born then.


Sadly i was! And A seemani was classed as the zebra knee back then. I feel so god damn old now!


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

_TiMiSdRuNk_ said:


> Sadly i was! And A seemani was classed as the zebra knee back then. I feel so god damn old now!


So they were definately A.seemanis then?????

All iv been told is they had bright black and white stripes on their legs and they were very docile.


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## vivalabam (Aug 8, 2010)

Haha awesome. I don't actually own any books, I was looking at them at the last Kempton show, they were pretty expensive.  I never read them anyway, I just end up looking at the pictures. :blush:


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## mattykyuss (Oct 12, 2009)

*re*

not sure what the zebra might be ,my mate who got into tarantulas in the 70,s ,had a red knee that lived for 22 years ,and what he called a haplopelma minax ,so there was a few around back then ,mat


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## Biffy (May 23, 2010)

Yep I remember them too!!! I used to always call the costa rican zebras!!


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

yes A.seemanni has been known as a costa rican zebra tarantula before now. one refference I can give you is in the book Tarantulas and Scorpions `their care in captivity´ by Wayne Rankin & Jerry G. Walls (published 1994).
Then off course it also has this common name listed in andrew smiths tarantula ID guide which goes back to 1980 something or other.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Baldpoodle said:


> yes A.seemanni has been known as a costa rican zebra tarantula before now. one refference I can give you is in the book Tarantulas and Scorpions `their care in captivity´ by Wayne Rankin & Jerry G. Walls (published 1994).
> Then off course it also has this common name listed in andrew smiths tarantula ID guide which goes back to 1980 something or other.


Thank you for that info. Was just a bit odd that they both brought up the zebra spider and neither know what they are. So i thought i would do a bit of digging on the subject.

The book i looked at was A Complete Guide To Tarantulas by Al David published in 1987 and is not that good a book tbh its just a picture book to me lmao.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

vivalabam said:


> Haha awesome. I don't actually own any books, I was looking at them at the last Kempton show, they were pretty expensive.  I never read them anyway, I just end up looking at the pictures. :blush:


Go on amazon you can pick up bargains off there. I only got this book as mum was clearing out most of our ancient book collection and iv always looked at this one.


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

quite funny really because after another quick look I found a few other books with this common name listed for A. seemanni so I guess it is not so uncommon for it to be called this.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Baldpoodle said:


> quite funny really because after another quick look I found a few other books with this common name listed for A. seemanni so I guess it is not so uncommon for it to be called this.


Apparently the pet shops stocked them as The Zebra Tarantula and you could only get them and Chile Roses and their scientific names were never given out.


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

selina20 said:


> Was having a good natter to DR3D (Noel) when we went to his the other day. Both him and my other half used to have tarantulas known as zebra spiders when they were younger and these were the only thing available in shops along with G.rosea.
> 
> Just out of interest we have tried to track down the so called Zebra spider but am struggling to do so. Have looked at A.geniculata and N.chromatus and none show a match. In my old tarantula guide book written in 1987 it suggested that they could be A.seemani.
> 
> So i was wondering if anyone knew what these docile pet species actually were as we havent been able to find any info lmao.


I first saw a "zebra" for sale in the late 80's at a wholesale pet trader near London.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

sage999 said:


> I first saw a "zebra" for sale in the late 80's at a wholesale pet trader near London.


It seems it was a common name at the time


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

It was definitely the A. seemanni.. having said that, in the late 80's, I remember B smithis and Avic avics being available.


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

LeviathanNI said:


> It was definitely the A. seemanni.. having said that, in the late 80's, I remember B smithis and Avic avics being available.


Mark got his when he was in the army lol.


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## Mark75 (Jan 21, 2007)

Oh the days............

I remember going to a shop in Uxbridge which is where I bought my 'Zebra Tarantula' They also had B smithi but the price tag on them was HUGE (£150+ for a sling). They also had royal pythons for well over £100 too.


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

_TiMiSdRuNk_ said:


> Sadly i was! And A seemani was classed as the zebra knee back then. I feel so god damn old now!


 
Thats the spid lol does this species tend to want to eat you ??? I was warned they would readily have a pop at ya...... but that was 22 years ago lol


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

LeviathanNI said:


> It was definitely the A. seemanni.. having said that, in the late 80's, I remember B smithis and Avic avics being available.


 
yup smithi's were about alot aswell, never set eyes on an avic tho, infact the first aborial i ever saw was a pokie at £600.00


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

LeviathanNI said:


> It was definitely the A. seemanni.. having said that, in the late 80's, I remember B smithis and Avic avics being available.


At about this time I once saw a H minax, again at a trade wholesalers. Not surprisingly everyone there was terrified of it. From what I recall they had it for months.


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

Oul Victor had contacts out there, and so a lot of them were WC I reckon. He retired to Costa Rica I think... his daughters were lovely...


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## Jay<3Jess (Sep 13, 2010)

Baldpoodle said:


> yes A.seemanni has been known as a costa rican zebra tarantula before now.


Just searched Google for A.seemanni. Explains why you search 'Costa Rican Zebra' you get half them images. 

Thanks for pointing that out. Learn something new everyday :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## Pinkytoes (Jun 25, 2009)

I have a book here published 1980 by a guy called John G Browning and it mentions in there Texan cinnamons,Red toe bird eaters and a Honduras black velvet which I have never heard of.
Any ideas?


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

A.seemani or costa rican origin are black and white and seem rarely available now where as from what i know most seemani now are imported from Nicaragua and are generaly brown with yellow / beige striping . Another simmilar looking species is A.burica the Chesnut zebra tarantula


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

I seem to remember A.seemani formerly being Rechostica seemani too


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## Genseric (Oct 7, 2007)

I think it was all dependent on who you got them from lol


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## kazzz32 (Sep 29, 2008)

I bought my first B Smithi 23 years ago, an adult female for £25. My brother bought a 'Zebra'. I can't remember what he paid for it but remember that it was very aggressive.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

not too good with scientific names and 20 years ago i was just born lol but the zebras i have are known as costa rican zebras you might have already looked them up. just check incase though lol

I know that there was problems on collecting the red legs and zebras or white legs years before my time lol.


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

kazzz32 said:


> I bought my first B Smithi 23 years ago, an adult female for £25. My brother bought a 'Zebra'. I can't remember what he paid for it but remember that it was very aggressive.


 
that was correct lol smithis were selling for around that price and zebras were well aggressive
hahha


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

Cant say ive ever come across an aggresive A.seemani. Very skitish but thats it:no1:


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Arachnoking said:


> Cant say ive ever come across an aggresive A.seemani. Very skitish but thats it:no1:


Mark said his one was lovely and he regularily handled it. Think i may have to track one down for him


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## DJ Gee (Nov 25, 2007)

My book published 1987 called "Tarantulas a complete introduction" by Al David and it has Zebra tarantula (Aphonopelma (Rhecostica) seemanni). "One of the most attractive species, possessing distinct light stripes that run the full length of it's legs. These pale markings set against the blackish legs have given rise to the common name of this tarantula." then it talks about keeping this species in captivity.


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## Arachnoking (May 21, 2005)

selina20 said:


> Mark said his one was lovely and he regularily handled it. Think i may have to track one down for him


 
Good luck finding a true costa rica zebra:whistling2:


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## DJ Gee (Nov 25, 2007)

In a different book it has the same Latin name but has three common names Bamboo tarantula, costa rican zebra tarantula and skeleton tarantula. I also don't bother reading them, just looked at the pictures when I was young.


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

selina20 said:


> Mark said his one was lovely and he regularily handled it. Think i may have to track one down for him


 
I'll also be on the look out Selina lol im sure we'll get our hands on a pair or 3  might take a bit a time but im sure we will hehehe


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Arachnoking said:


> Good luck finding a true costa rica zebra:whistling2:


Tell me about it lol



Dr3d said:


> I'll also be on the look out Selina lol im sure we'll get our hands on a pair or 3  might take a bit a time but im sure we will hehehe


Yea will bring these back again some day


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## Asa (Feb 3, 2010)

Isnt a Zebra a "Aphonopelma semannii" and "Aphonopelma seemanni" is a stripe knee tarantula? 

I know where you can get both either way


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Asa said:


> Isnt a Zebra a "Aphonopelma semannii" and "Aphonopelma seemanni" is a stripe knee tarantula?
> 
> I know where you can get both either way


They are the same spider just spelt differently lol


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## Mutley.100 (Nov 3, 2008)

Asa said:


> Isnt a Zebra a "Aphonopelma semannii" and "Aphonopelma seemanni" is a stripe knee tarantula?
> 
> I know where you can get both either way


A typo does not a species make .


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## Asa (Feb 3, 2010)

Merely badly informed

The Living Rainforest - View Price List - Group 

:blush:


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Asa said:


> Merely badly informed
> 
> The Living Rainforest - View Price List - Group
> 
> :blush:


No problem its an easy mistake to make. Sadly a lot of petshops make these mistakes


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

to be honest i highly doubt that what they are selling are true seemanni...especially as they have 4 differing spellings selling as 4 spiders...and they appear to have a new species....namely Brchypelma behemi :gasp:

what they are probably selling is Aphonopelma sp 'Guatemala' although without seeing a picture or the actual spiders they could be anything ( i'll call their wholesaler .... i haven't spoken to Steve for some years so it will be good to catch up)


show me that tan underside and some tan spinnerets and i'll be halfway to believing


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## Baldpoodle (Apr 18, 2007)

> show me that tan underside and some tan spinnerets and i'll be halfway to believing


both A.seemanni and A sp. 'Guatemala' have a tan underside and tan spinnerets (and a couple of other species) so which which is the real a seemanni based on this?


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## 8and6 (Jan 19, 2010)

like i said.....'halfway to believing'


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## Annihilation (Nov 2, 2009)

vivalabam said:


> I wasn't even born then.


 Same D=


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## Oderus (Nov 24, 2009)

Back in the 80's I would say both what may have been real _A. seemanni_ and sp. "Guatemala" were around, my first _A. seemanni _bought in 1987 was with little doubt what's now being called sp. "Guatemala" with my second being one being a possible real_ seemanni _and I have no idea how old she was or when she had been exported_.

_Other then zebras only stuff I can recall on sale listed as coming from Costa Rica in the late 80's at shows and on lists were W/C_ Brachypelma mesomelas _(as they were then) but I might be right in thinking Costa Rica had already closed to exports before that time?, but £20-£30 a pop for both subadults and adults was not a bad amount of money for a spider back then which might explain that , and chances are the zebras were already coming from other parts of CA by that time.


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## Dr3d (Jul 31, 2010)

This is what what was on sale back then as the Zebra tarantula, along with plenty of G. roseas..... when I was working at the local rep shop.... in 87/88

http://www.livetarantulasgallery.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/pavouci_007.191144723_std.jpg

I understand times have changed and this species may well be more docile, however, back then they were sold as a very aggresive... but most of everything was compared to rosea temperment... at that time..


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

Dr3d said:


> This is what what was on sale back then as the Zebra tarantula, along with plenty of G. roseas..... when I was working at the local rep shop.... in 87/88
> 
> http://www.livetarantulasgallery.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/pavouci_007.191144723_std.jpg
> 
> I understand times have changed and this species may well be more docile, however, back then they were sold as a very aggresive... but most of everything was compared to rosea temperment... at that time..


Thats what Mark agrees his was.

Am pretty chuffed with the ideas etc stated in this thread tbh. Some really good ideas have come up cheers guys.


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## KWIBEZEE (Mar 15, 2010)

*Zebras*

I think the very first T I purchased was Aphonopelma seemanii. I'm sure it was only around £8 for a S/A from ELS. P&P almost doubled this. I may still have an old ELS price list. The individual was advertised as being 'docile and excellent for the novice' ( Wallace). It's colouration was more choclatey, off-white leg stripes. Size averaged about 800mm L/S ( guessing - have to look at an old ecdyse I still have - when I find it I will post a picture).

Minax though = either Melopoeus or Eurypelma and are both dark - no red leg pattern like the Brachys etc = ? M.m similar to H.lividum in it's aggresion etc. Very fiesty always and one I never handled - ever!

A year or so after obtaining this T one of our cats actually managed to fish this A.seemanii out of its enclosure and mangled it. It wasn't quite dead when I found it wandering aimlessly in circles and the cat being fine did this a couple of more times. Back then as a novice the enclosures only had glass lids which rested on the inner glass lip of the glass enclosure. At best the only other 'available' reliable enclosures were those exo-terra units which had a metal lid incorporating a slidable glass section and a mesh and a feeding hole stopped up with a removable plastic cap.


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## Toeboe (Dec 28, 2006)

I had a "Zebra" tarantula in the early 80s. I got it from a place in Dudley called Entomological Livestock Supplies, is this the ELS referred to in previous post? Is it still there? I also saw a adult T blondie in full agressive action there on a table too.
My zebra was a psycho. It used to rear if i went near the tank, and would strike as i was trying to drop crickets in. I eventually tired of its mad behavious and took it to Chester zoo. I knew the staff in the reptile house at the time and they gave me a little rainbow swift in return.
I used to drive into the midlands from Liverpool because back then there were few places that supplied tarantulas. Obviously the tinterweb had yet to be invented so the Exchange And Mart magazine (it ceased to exist recently due to the web) was one of the few places you could find dealers. Forums and the like are a dream for learning, like we all are now. I didnt know a single person other than me who had exotics apart from seeing people at the few and far between pet shops.
,,,and you tell the kids today,,,,:whistling2:


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## KWIBEZEE (Mar 15, 2010)

*ELS and the pre- internet years...*

Yes indeed Toeboe - ELS is the very same establishment that I am refering to. Halesowen was the setting and a rented unit amidst a few other industrial complexes was how I remember it. I was joyed to have a little 5 minute talk with Andrew Smith at the last BTS and he too was wondering the location of its Proprietor - a certain Mr. Wallace. The reference was in context I believe for research for another BTS article of how the 'hobby' started off etc. His unit was an absolute wonder for me and my best friend - a fellow enthusiast and now also a graduate of Biology etc. An assistant, besides his lovely daughter Jayne, called Mark was always on hand - and I think we could relate more to his approach being collage students at the time. ( Where are these guys?)
The arrangements back then was a train journey from Manchester and a bus ride. It was always worth the pleasure of the venture and yes not many other sources were readily at hand. Even getting to know of locations, breeders, suppliers, importers was a major issue. The only other sources were the various Entomological conventions that came once or maybe twice per annum. I loosely remember the BTS at Stockport, Wigan Pier, and the AES at similar.

In a previous thread I refered to ELS and stated back then the Poecilotheria were like gold-dust. I paid somewhere in the region of £28 for a regalis and probably £32 for a formosa. It was always a true excitable moment when the postman delivered an eagerly awaited polystyrene box that accomodated a recent purchase if on the otherhand a purchase was made via phone. (Came in very useful to retain any ecdysed exo-skeletons).

The A.seemanni was as stated - £8 or near to that price. It was as described in the updated monthly pricelists that one could obtain by request. ( I will have to have thourough search for any old pricelists etc). A seemanni ~ Very docile and steady. I used cable heating back then to house somewhere in the region of at least 35 - 50 species. The temperatures attained were definately sufficient and perhaps the temperatures were actually hotter since the thermostat was a little basic ( no brand names to be mentioned here dare I say) so I can't say that any of the tarantulas actions were not atypical due to cool temperatures etc.

By the way - just found a few old B.smithi 'skins' from around 20 years ago. The individual was obtained from the BTS show at Stockport. ( Perhaps from the trader/breeder going by the name of Mark Kent?)
The tiny spiderling was a mere few millimeters. For some odd reason I collected every ecdyse of that little beauty until she went to walk with Mr James Brown (25.12.2006 - R.I.P : victory However whilst moving house I have misplaced or even lost another box containg ecdyse No*14 onwards and then have the final four ecdsyses. ( Photo posted under - FUN WITH SKINS here on the forum.)

It is so true what Toeboe relates in his statement that today there is so much information and so many suppliers and interconnected links with regards to arachnology.

ok here is the first smithii ecdyse in the sequence - anyone with a small sling and dedictaed to its husbandry and wondering how such small spiderlings attain size then I hope this gives a little encouragement. 











DR3D - that definately is the same species that I obtained from ELS ~ 1989. Gorgeous longitudinal legstripes - very distinctine. Looks like a freshly ecdysed girl too. Thanks.


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## KWIBEZEE (Mar 15, 2010)

*B.smithii*

Corrections - "... lost another box containg *ecdyse No*14* onwards..."

should read ' ... containing ecdyse No* 13 onwards...'


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## Toeboe (Dec 28, 2006)

ELS was indeed buried anonymously in amongst other industrial units, but once inside it was a haven for us arachnophiles. I remember their set ups were so much more realistic than anything i had ever seen before. I still to this day remember a pokie display they had. I'm sure it was a P regalis, but regardless of species it had a lasting impression, as did the staff knowledge. 
Local exotic pet shops showed their animals in make-do set ups, ELS made an effort to replicate a natural environment. That was the the first time i had seen that done.
Not too far away was a place called "The Vivarium" on Freer St, Walsall. Just a regular oldy worldy pet shop. But above was a world of reptiles. Every tank was accurately identified, with birth dates and quarenteen details if needed. There was a vet certificate on every tank, and a guy in a white smock (the resident vet, or not), but it had a real good feel factor about it. I bought my 1st boa from them. 
In my opinion these are the originators of good exotics house keeping. They set a standard I have always looked for in pet shops. Few have met these standards, but so many poor pet shops have stopped selling exotics. Thank heavens.
p.s. I remember Indian/Burmese pythons freely available from one of the place I got my feeds from, to anyone for around £40!!!


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