DOMINICANSPIDERS

Unidentified Heteropodiidae - Two Different species

2012-01-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Species 1 - Female - Bayahibe

Species 2 - Female - Palmar de Ocoa

Species 2 - Male - Palmar de Ocoa

Micrathena militaris

2012-01-18T21:10:00.001-08:00

Eriophora sp. Family Araneidae

2012-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Eriophora sp. - Bayahibe

Eriophora sp. - Palmar de Ocoa

Ctenus sp. Puerto Plata

2012-01-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

Bolostromus sp.

2012-01-18T20:23:00.001-08:00

From the family Cyrtaucheniidae, they live in burrows

lined with silk, the size it's about 14 mm. Until now I've

found few of them, more than twenty years ago, in La

Romana. Actually I've found some in Saona Island between

the roots of the palm trees, on the beach.

Female

Male

Ctenus sp. San Jose de Ocoa

2012-01-15T13:19:00.000-08:00

This is another beautiful spider from D.R.

From the family Ctenidae. I've found this one

on the mountains at 400 mt in a place called

San Jose de Ocoa, Peravia Region, South-West.

Cupiennius vodou

2012-01-15T10:20:00.000-08:00

This beautiful spider belongs to the family Ctenidae,

it can be found in many regions, between the foliage in

deep vegetation, mostly where the humidity is high.

This is a male founded in San Jose de Ocoa, Peravia

in the south-west of the Dominican Republic.

Loxosceles taino - Palmar de Ocoa

2009-10-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

From the family Sicariidae, (formerly placed in the family
Loxoscelidae) this spider like others in the same genus are
very dangerous to humans. They have a Citotoxic venom
that causes necrosis, fever, nausea, vomiting and rashes.
They occur in the southwest. The size is about 8/12 mm.

Female

Male

Lathrodectus geometricus

2009-10-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

From the family Theridiidae, are commonly called Brown Widows.
Their venom is highly toxic, more than Black Widow but it's very
difficult they come in contact with humans, even if they live close
to houses, gardens, beach and grass where people often walk
barefoot. The size it's about 11 mm for the females and 5 mm for
the males. They can be found everywhere and their color varies
from clear brown to black.

In this picture you can see both female and male, the color
of the female it's very rare, almost white with orange spots.

New Cyrtopholis from La Romana

2009-10-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I found this new tarantula that I had never
found before, Cyrtopholis sp. in the regions of La Romana
and El Seybo.
The females reaches 48mm and the male 26mm.
The colors are truly spectacular, deep brown with dark blue
femurs and dark orange legs.

Females

Male

Holothele sp.

2009-05-25T21:51:00.000-07:00

This is the most beautiful tarantula I've ever seen in
Dominican Republic from the genus Holothele. Maybe it's

Holothele sericea, founded in 1903 by Simon in Puerto Plata.
The colour is silvery blue and it turns grey before the molt,
the male is golden colored with some blue. They can be found

in different areas, mostly in the East region where the moisture

is very high. I also found one female in Peravia region in the

South-West. They make small burrows under stones covered

with silk. Due to their high speed it's very difficult to catch them,

I've never see a spider faster than this one !
The females reach 33mm and the males 19mm.

After molt...

Nephila clavipes

2009-02-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Amazing gorgeous spider widespread over
the Island, from the coasts to the mountains.
From the family Tetragnathidae.
The females reach 28mm, the males only 6mm.
Females sometimes makes very big webs with
over than 1mt in diameter. On their webs
can be found some parasites, other spiders
from the genus Argyrodes (fam. Theridiidae)
they are very small and feed with nephilas
without get detected on the web, because of
their extremely slow motion. One Argyrodes
it's visible in the first picture.

During copulation...

Immature Female

Male

Ischnothele garcia... Probably

2009-02-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

A beautiful Dipluridae from Palmar de Ocoa, located on
the south west coast , where I've found only two females,
I don't know much about them because they are not so
easy to find among the woods, but they are very fast and
makes big funnel webs at the base of trees.
Females reach 16mm without spinnerets.

Argiope argentata

2009-02-02T07:32:00.001-08:00

Widespread throughout the island, mostly in the
coasts, close to the sea, this beautiful spider is from the
family Araneidae.
The female reach 16mm and the male 6mm.
The web construction have a structure in the center
called Stabilimentum, the immature makes it like a spiral
while the adults make an X shaped like the last picture
shows.

Immature female

Mature females

Cyrtopholis cursor

2009-02-02T05:39:00.000-08:00

This is a burrowing tarantula, they can dig more than
30cm deep.
The size of the female is 52mm and the male 30mm.
Normally their are very aggressive and people believe
that they can kill. I was bite on past Christmas
by the one in the last picture, it's like a bee sting and
one hour after the venom effect disappear.
There is another species of Cyrtopholis in the north coast,
in Montecristi region, with the same size and behavior but
the color is deep blue.

Male

Females

Alcimosphemus licinus

2009-02-02T04:37:00.000-08:00

This beautiful spider can be found among low bushes,
in shady areas with high humidity.
The female can reach 11 mm and the male 8.
They belong to the family Tetragnathidae.

This one have parasites.

Tarantulas Distribution Map

2009-02-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

This map is aproximately what I observed during 21 years,
It may change in order to specify new discoveries.

Unidentified Small Brown Tarantula

2009-02-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

Small brown Tarantula found in 1992 on Pico Duarte,
the highest mountain of the Caribbean with 3,175 mt.
It was a mature female with 30mm in body lenght,
very docile and slow moving. One of my favorite !

Unidentified Tarantula

2009-02-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

This species probably belong to the genus Phormictopus,
apparently is very similar to P. cancerides but I'm sure
that's a different species.
I've found it in 1992, in San Juan de la Maguana, in the
region of San Juan, on the mountains at 500 mt.
It's not aggressive like others Tarantulas.
This is a mature female with 70mm in body lenght, in the
second picture while eating an Anolis.

Heteropoda venatoria

2009-01-25T12:17:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most common spiders on the island, it can be found from the coast till the mountains. They like to feed on cockroaches and crickets. People get scared when see them running on walls, they think the spider can jump to attack. The female can reach 28mm and 12cm with the legs extended, the male 21mm with same leg extension of the female.

Males

Females

Phormictopus atrichomatus

2009-01-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

This tarantula can be found in the north west, I've found
this one in Puerto Plata. Maybe it's original from Cuba.
I don't know much about this spider because I confused
it with the C. spinicrus for one year and a half, only today
I discover the differences and the scientific name. I believe
they can reach aproximately 8cm (females) like the other
species from the same family.
They have the same behavior and are very similar to
P. cancerides and C. spinicrus.

Boca de Yuma

2008-11-19T11:34:00.001-08:00

Located at the extreme south east of the country, close

to the "Parque Nacional del Este", Boca de Yuma is
a small fishing village where the river Yuma meet
the sea in a wild landscape where vegetation meet
rocks and rocks meet the powerful winds over the
caribbean sea. There are different caves over here,
the one I visit is called "Cueva de Berna"
inside the national park,where I hardly
found some interesting species.

On entering the beautiful cave there are in sight some
designs carved into the rocks that show the presence
of the Tainos, the indigenous people that once inhabited
the island, in ancient times, before the discovery of America.

Calcified formations of earth, rocks and debris
surround me with their warm tones.

Covered with moss and mold due to the high moisture,
the stalagmites colored with greyish, green and purple,
caught my curiosity for the velvety textures.

The first spider it's a beautiful species wide spread
throughout the tropics of the world but it's the first
one I found in all these years of research.
Zosis geniculatus from the family Uloboridae.
It's about 7 mm in body lenght, 18 mm with legs.
The male it's extremely small, only 2 millimeters.
I lost the only one I found, that's the reason
I didn't take any picture.

Next spider it was a big surprise and emotion, other new
discovery, a small member of the family Segestridae,
probably from the genus Ariadna.
Unfortunately I didn't find any male. I've tried to find
over the internet but there's not much information about
tropical Segestridae. This female it was only 8 mm.

The last spider it's a Loxosceles caribbaea from the

family Loxoscelidae, this one it can be found only in the

eastern region, the female reach 8 mm and the male 6 mm,

both sexes have the same color.
They are very dangerous to human for their strong venom.

Citharacanthus spinicrus

2008-10-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

This is another species of tarantula similar to P. cancerides,
the color vary from brown to black, with golden or bronze
pubescences on legs and cephalothorax, with reddish hairs on the
abdomen. The size of the body it's about 85 mm for the
female and 65 mm for the male. It can be found on the 40%
of the territory, from La Romana to San Cristobal going north
to Santiago.

Phormictopus cancerides

2008-09-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is the most famous tarantula from Dominican Republic.
But not the most common, as many people think.

They are very aggressive and difficult to handle due to their
speed and ability to climb.
The female can reach 80mm in body lenght and 210mm in
legspan, the male 60mm in body lenght and 230mm in
legspan.
They can be found through the south western area, in
the regions of Peravia, Azua, Barahona, Pedernales,
Independencia and Bahoruco. Something strange is their
presence in the south of the region of La Altagracia, only
in the area of Bayahibe, Boca de Yuma, Saona Island and
Catalina Island.

This picture show a young after the first molt.

This is the same one after the second molt.

Some mature males.

Some mature females

A Male who reach maturity after 9 molts...