On this page you will find different "articles" on various subjects about amblypygids, obviously!

With each subject there is a short paragraph to explain and some pictures/videos to complete the words.

Post exuviation : When amblypyids turn blue!

It takes few hours for arthropods to get their body hard again after a molt, the chitin has to be regenerated in the new exoskeleton. The chitin takes some time to be restaured, this is a molecula that is found in arthropods body (fungi too for example), it makes it solid, combine with calcium carbonate. The exoskeleton is not only made of chitin but also of sclerotin, which participate to make the body hard, but also gives the brown color, it's tanning.

During this time amblypygids are magnificent (well, they always are right?), they are white when they just came out of the old skin, then their body is turning blue, different shade of blue.

Damon diadema

Euphrynichus bacillifer

Heterophrynus sp. Colombia

Phrynus longipes

Damon diadema

Phrynus marginemaculatus

Catageus (Stygophrynus) sp.

Damon diadema

______________________________

Spermatophores

Spermatophores of five amblypygids species. A spermatophore is a small structure (6mm more or less for Damon diadema, it can go to 3/4mm for the smallest species to 20mm for the biggest) that contains sperm. The size and the shape of spermatophores is different from a species to an other, as you can see on these pictures.

Damon diadema

Damon medius

Catageus (Stygophrynus) sp.

Phrynus marginemaculatus

Euphrynichus bacillifer

______________________________

Transparency and hemolymph

It takes few hours for arthropods to get their body hard again after a molt, the chitin has to be regenerated in the new exoskeleton. The chitin takes some time to be restaured, this is a molecula that is found in arthropods body (fungi too for example), it makes it solid, combine with calcium carbonate. The exoskeleton is not only made of chitin but also of sclerotin, which participate to make the body hard, but also gives the brown color, it's tanning.

During this time amblypygids are magnificent (well, they always are right?), they are white when they just came out of the old skin, then their body is turning blue, different shade of blue. And when they are still blue the skin is a bit translucent, so with the good light you can see a fluid moving inside the legs, the hemolymph.

I was totally amazed when I saw this!

______________________________

How do amblypygids eggs get in place?

At the time of the eggs' externalization the female "retracts" her abdomen in order to accommodate the "eggsac".

It's actually a liquid that is secreted at the same time as the laying, which includes the eggs, and which gradually hardens to eventually form a protection and probably a insulation to keep proper parameters for the incubation of eggs.

I made this montage to show the "steps" of the eggs development.

(The pictures are not from the same female).

The first pic shows the abdomen when it's "normal", without eggs. Then there is the exteriorization of the eggs, the liquid is secreted by the genital operculum and the eggs are layed step by step inside the liquid that will hardened and form a "pouch".

There could be an other picture between these two, the one where we see the eggs through the sternites, i don't have it yet!

The third pic shows the eggs right after the exteriorization, still blues, then the same thing but few weeks after, when the eggs are brown.

______________________________

Molts and "second life"

The amblypygi is an arthropod, so, when they grow, they molt. BUT, they do not molt only to grow, but also to regenerate their missing parts.

The molt is certainly the most dangerous moment in the life of an athropod, they have no way to defend themselves and are exposed many minutes or even hours.

Here is a video made by Barcroft media with some images i've taken with one of my amblypygi, pictures to follow.

Update january 2020 :

Just an add of recent images after a new observation!

Short video of an exuviation on the right, and two timelapses that shows well how it's taking place despite the quality.

________________________________________________________

Amblypygi molts are very similar to the living specimen, and, as i like giving a "second life" to my animals when it's possible, it was natural for me to frame the molts of my aliens!

I have many amblypygids so i already framed some molts.

You can see some of them below, and you'll also find a video about how i proceed to do it.