Tarantulas in New Zealand

Chlidonias said:
NZ cities are neither warm nor humid. Generally speaking, NZers don't heat buildings the way Europeans do. We are too tough ;).
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:D Okay, I don't wanna mess with you guys. (I just thought it must be at least humid because of a clima chart in the internet and a friend of mine who was visiting NZ many times for a couple of weeks and it was ALLWAYS raining).

Chlidonias said:
There's really no way any of the importable species could survive in the wild in NZ, even in the far north. But yes it is a bit silly that tarantulas (and the two species of scorpion which are also on the allowed list!!) can be brought into the country for zoos but not a single male non-venomous tropical snake can be. But that's the way it is.
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If anything goes wrong, we shouldn't take that as a kismet, should we? (Specially when we are as tough as Newzealandians;))
I like to mention, that this is not a NZ bashing, it is just against some - hmh, lets say: weird - decisions of authorities (as we have had recently in Switzerland by stopping the import of dolphins for example. And we have just one (1!) dolphinarium/dolphin lagoon in an amusement park).
 
Chlidonias said:
I think he was meaning New Zealand freshwater fish rather than freshwater fish in general. Most NZ native fish can't tolerate high temperatures very well but inanga can be kept at higher than most. There have been quite a lot of studies done on inanga because their young (whitebait) are important culturally. The preferred temperature of the species has been shown to be about 20°C but they can take it up as high as 26°C. It's not a temperature you would intentionally keep them at however because they are then under a state of stress and become more susceptible to disease and other problems.
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Ah, that makes sense. Just struck me as odd!
 
Chlidonias said:
There's really no way any of the importable species could survive in the wild in NZ, even in the far north.
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I should rephrase that I think. Individual tarantulas could actually survive quite well in the wild over the summer in many parts of NZ, but they couldn't establish a population because the winters are too cold, even in the far north.
 
zooboy28 said:
Species Imported 2012:

-Chilean Rose Tarantula (Wellington Zoo)
-King Baboon Tarantula (Wellington Zoo)
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its been almost 24 hours since the zoo answered this on facebook (took their time about it though!!) so I'm just going to add it here now:
the new ones are a variety of Peruvian Pinktoe, Peruvian Striped Leg, Bolivian Blue Leg, Chilean Rose, King Baboon, and Brazilian Black. We will be getting some Mexican Redknee soon as well. We already had a Goliath Birdeater, Chilean Rose and Peruvian Pinktoe.
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...which are these ones (in bold) from the approved list (I'm also including the Costa Rica zebra tarantula for good measure, because Butterfly Creek has that species on display already):

Aphonopelma moderatum (Rio Grande gold tarantula)
Aphonopelma seemanni (Costa Rica zebra tarantula)
Avicularia urticans (Peruvian pink toe tarantula)
Brachypelma smithii (Mexican red knee tarantula)
Citharischius crawshayi (king baboon tarantula)
Grammostola pulchra (Brazilian black tarantula)
Grammostola rosea (Chilean rose hair tarantula) [Chilean rose]
Lasiodorides polycuspulatus (Peruvian blonde tarantula)
Lasiodorides striatus (Peruvian orange stripe tarantula) [Peruvian striped leg]
Pamphobetus antinous (steely blue-leg bird-eating spider) [Bolivian blue leg]
Pamphobetus platytomma (Brazilian pink tarantula)
Theraphosa blondi (Goliath bird-eating spider)

I have to say that, apart for the Mexican red-kneed tarantula, the most attractive species on the list are the ones that aren't in the import!!
 
Chlidonias said:
its been almost 24 hours since the zoo answered this on facebook (took their time about it though!!) so I'm just going to add it here now:
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Fair enuf, I been flat out with work, and forgot to check. Can't edit the first post know either to complete the species lists, perhaps a mod could do this when they get a chance?
 
Chlidonias said:
I should rephrase that I think. Individual tarantulas could actually survive quite well in the wild over the summer in many parts of NZ, but they couldn't establish a population because the winters are too cold, even in the far north.
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Does anybody know of a case of bird-eaters establishing a breeding population outside their natural range?
 
If I am correct, Australia is only allowed to import females and have to be displayed and housed with something like two layers of glass. I guess New Zealand is the place to go to see exotic spiders in this region.
 
Jabiru96 said:
If I am correct, Australia is only allowed to import females and have to be displayed and housed with something like two layers of glass. I guess New Zealand is the place to go to see exotic spiders in this region.
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Only a handful of species, non pregnant females and can only be kept by "high securitt facilities" only. worth a trip to nz me thinks.
 
New Article from Orana Park:

Orana Wildlife Park’s Native Fauna Keepers are thrilled to be working with the Park’s latest new specimens - six sub-adult tarantulas. The spiders, too young to be sexed, arrived last week and have settled in nicely. Orana holds two animals representing each of the Chilean Rose, Brazilian Black and Andean Stripe Knee species of tarantula which were transferred from England. Later in the year, four Mexican Red Knee spiderlings will also arrive at the Park.

Head Keeper of Native Fauna, Alyssa Salton, says: “We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with such amazing animals. This is the first time that large spiders have been held at Orana.

Tarantulas are fascinating animals with amazing features. They moult their entire exoskeleton which is fairly impressive! Males have hooks on their legs and if they lose a leg a new one starts to grow when they moult. Unfortunately people often seem to be fearful of them and we hope to change that perception. I actually think they are quite cute. We have named them Marvin, Rose (Chilean), Betsy, Borris (Brazilian), Gingy and Flicky (Andean Stripe).

The spiders are housed in terrariums within the Park’s Conservation Centre (not on public display) meaning it will be some time before Park visitors can view the animals. The reason is that Wellington Zoo arranged the transfer of the tarantulas and offered Orana the chance to acquire some specimens. Naturally, we could not turn down such a wonderful opportunity but as this was not a planned new species, a display habitat now needs to be built.

Prior to the arrival of the spiders, we consulted extensively with local experts, visited their tarantula exhibits and have learned a great deal about the spiders and their requirements. I am delighted that Park staff have all been absolutely intrigued by the animals, even those who are not so keen on spiders have taken a huge interest in them. I am sure visitors will really enjoy seeing them once we have built a display exhibit for the animals”. concludes Alyssa.
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The Andean Stripe Knee wasn't mentioned previously, was it?
 
Andean stripe knee is the same as what Wellington are calling the Peruvian striped leg. I guess Orana wanted to be different. These completely ungrammatical common names annoy me!!

To avoid confusion it is Lasiodorides striatus
 
Private_Nemesis said:
I agree - its almost as bad as referring to tarantula as "bird-eaters"!!!
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Sorry but tarantula is possibly even worse, although I grant you far more commonly used in the pet trade. Tarantula is an Italian word that refers to a native species of wolf spider - completely unrelated to this group of spiders. Theraphosids are the term that most scientifically-minded keepers use, which is what I tend to use also, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that there is something gramatically incorrect with this as well. I don't have a huge problem with them being referred to as bird-eaters, while not truly indicative of their nature the name doesn't tend to get them confused with other groups of spiders.
I guess all three names will continue to be used depending on your preference.
 
tetrapod said:
Theraphosids are the term that most scientifically-minded keepers use, which is what I tend to use also, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that there is something gramatically incorrect with this as well.
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I prefer to use mygalomorph myself. The word of course covers more species than just those in Theraposidae but it is a very handy general term. The word theraposid is quite correct when referring to just that family.
 
only two of the spiders are going to the Otago Museum:
Large, hairy arrivals settle in | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News
28 July 2012

They are the stuff of nightmares and they are moving in.
The Otago Museum will reveal two new tarantula spiders to the public tomorrow.

The Bolivian blue leg tarantula and Brazilian black tarantula are among the largest spiders in the world, growing to 22cm and 18cm respectively.

Despite their fearsome appearance, the spiders were relatively harmless, Otago Museum living environments co-ordinator Murray McGuigan said yesterday.

"Their venom is like a bee sting. Nobody has ever died from a tarantula bite, that I'm aware of. Their main form of defence is kicking urticating hairs off their abdomen, which cause irritation if they get into the eyes and nostrils."

The spiders were bred in Wales and will join the museum's existing orange striped bird-eating tarantula and Chilean rose tarantula in the tropical forest enclosure.
"People have different reactions to them. They either love them or they give them a wide berth. I think, for some people, it's about facing their fear," Mr McGuigan said.

"They're mostly nocturnal, so they don't move around much during the day. Their aggression levels vary. They can be a bit territorial and grumpy, so each one has its own enclosure."

The spiders were fed a cricket a week and could live for up to 30 years, he said.

The tarantulas will be introduced to their new home at noon tomorrow, when spider biologist Dr Simon Pollard will feed and handle them outside their enclosures.
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An update to the list of tarantulas in NZ zoos, may be slightly out of date, but more up-to-date than the previous lists :)

There are 11 species present, spread across 7 collections.

Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula Aphonopelma seemanni Auckland Zoo, Butterfly Creek
Peruvian Pinktoe Tarantula Avicularia urticans Auckland Zoo, Butterfly Creek, Canterbury Museum, Wellington Zoo
Mexican Red-knee Tarantula Brachypelma smithi Auckland Zoo, Canterbury Museum, Wellington Zoo
King Baboon Tarantula Citharischius crawshayi Butterfly Creek, Wellington Zoo
Brazilian Black Tarantula Grammostola pulchra Orana Park, Otago Museum, Wellington Zoo
Chilean Rose Tarantula Grammostola rosea Canterbury Museum, Orana Park, Otago Museum, Ti Point Reptile Park, Wellington Zoo
Goliath Stripe-legged Tarantula Lasiodora striatus Auckland Zoo, Otago Museum
Peruvian Striped-leg Tarantula Lasiodorides striatus Canterbury Museum, Orana Park, Wellington Zoo
Bolivian Blue leg Tarantula Pamphobetus aninous Auckland Zoo, Butterfly Creek, Canterbury Museum, Wellington Zoo
Goliath Tarantula Theraphosa blondi Wellington Zoo
Thailand Black Tarantula Haplopelma minax Butterfly Creek
 
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Hey guys, bit late to the party!

Has anyone done an update on the current sp. in NZ zoos? I'm trying to gather information about our friendly 8-legged buddies and I'm having a rough time trying to come up with a full list of names.

I was interested that the Cyriopagopus minax was in New Zealand at one point, being an old world taranula and being a defensive t, rather than taking on the Brachypelma sp. or more Avicularia sp. Since we've basically only seemed to allow NW tarantulas here for the most part, also that a bunch of tarantulas that weren't on the list were allowed into NZ interests me immensely. I've learnt about our strict importation laws being a hobbyist myself now so that's been fun!.
 
arachnidgirl said:
Hey guys, bit late to the party!

Has anyone done an update on the current sp. in NZ zoos? I'm trying to gather information about our friendly 8-legged buddies and I'm having a rough time trying to come up with a full list of names.

I was interested that the Cyriopagopus minax was in New Zealand at one point, being an old world taranula and being a defensive t, rather than taking on the Brachypelma sp. or more Avicularia sp. Since we've basically only seemed to allow NW tarantulas here for the most part, also that a bunch of tarantulas that weren't on the list were allowed into NZ interests me immensely. I've learnt about our strict importation laws being a hobbyist myself now so that's been fun!.
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yeah, either zooboy28 or myself can post an update on what and where species are, whichever of us gets round to it first.

I expect the Thai black tarantula had been one animal which was accidental (e.g. either intercepted in cargo or confiscated), rather than an actual import.
 
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