by Eric Neubauer
On the way back from the October chapter meeting I stopped by Alligator Creek. It’s a location that always has something to offer, and there is an early winter species I haven’t been able to identify yet for lack of an adult female.
I picked up two spiders that looked interesting. Both cringed and flattened themselves against the ground as I approached but obligingly ran into my contain when poked from behind.
They turned out to be adult male Tigrosa georgicola, a species which is common there. Once they were in my container, they appeared much larger when their long legs became fully visible. During photography, I used my smaller ventral chamber and immediately realized I should have used the larger Both were very mellow and just barely fit with their legs stretched out.
The chamber is 2.75″ in diameter so I was able to get a good idea of their overall size which was about 4 times their body length. Females tend to have longer bodies and shorter legs.
I took them back for release 8 hours later. The release of one was particularly gratifying. I dumped him from the container into my hand and he just stood there. Usually they’re off in a flash as soon as they land. As I lowered my hand toward the ground he leisurely walked to the edge of my hand and then hopped to the ground.
In my opinion, a ventral view is necessary for a positive species identification within this genus.
