The Spider Guide

Welcome to the spider guide. Here I will discuss some of the species you may encounter in the tarantula keeping hobby. Some of the spiders discussed here are species I already own, others are species I look forward to adding to my collection.

*****

How to use the spider guide:

For species that have their own page. Use the penu drop down or click the underlined text below to go to it.

For spiders that are detailed on this page, click the highlighted names to see a photo of the spider species in question.

*****

Spider Pages:

Brachypelma species - wonderful group of New World terrestrials, click the link to go to the Brachypelma page.

*****

Pink Toe Tarantulas - Avicularia species - very popular group of arboreal spiders, click the link to go to the Avicularia page.

*****

Indian Ornamentals - Poecilotheria species - another very popular group of arboreal spiders, click to go to the Pokie page.

*****

Goliath tarantulas - Theraphosa species - T. blondi, T. stirmi and T. apophysis. The largest spiders in the world.

****

Arboreal Tarantulas:

(Note: for avicularia and Poecilotheria see the spider pages above)

Venezuelan Sun Tiger - Latin name: Psalmopoeus irminia

These spiders are very commonly kept, widely available and highly sought after. They are extremely beautiful with a velvet black background highlighted with orange-yellow markings on the abdomen and legs, however males lose this colouration on maturity and become drab grey and somewhat spindly.

These are average sized arboreal tarantulas, females obtain a leg span of approximately 12-14cm with the males being smaller. As far as breeding goes, they are not difficult to breed and the spiderlings are very pretty - click here to see spiderling. They are fast growing and will reach adult size in about two years.

Price wise they are fairly inexpensive as spiderlings, however adult females rarely go up for sale, so these do tend to command a higher price.

As arboreal tarantulas go these are not difficult to keep, however due to their temperament they are not suitable for beginners. They are very fast moving, unpredictable and aggressive. These will bite given a chance to do so, therefore a degree of experience is required.

They like a humidity of between 75-85% and tempertures of 78-82°F. The substrate should be deep as they do like to burrow a little, and there should be branches to climb on as well as lots of hiding places and a water bowl.

They will spend a fair amount of time hidden away, so do not make the best display spider, however when they do show themselves they are always a treat to see.

Trinidad Chevron - Latin name: Psalmopoeus cambridgei

The Trinidad Chevron is another very popular arboreal species. They are easy to find available for sale in all stages with the spiderlings being fairly cheap, and the adult females reasonable.

These tarantulas are large in size and quite chunky. The general colouration is pale golden brown with light chevron markings on its abdomen and orange stripes on its feet.

In my mind this spider although a firm favourite in many collections is somewhat underrated. Although not as stunningly marked as some arboreal species, it is an impressive spider to behold and can often be viewed on display.

Although defensive, it is not as aggressive as P. irminia and can be a good species for intemediate keepers, working their way up from docile arboreal tarantulas such as Avicularia to the more experience demanding Poecilotheria.

That said, I have found these spiders to be extremely flighty. When they want to these guys can teleport. They can really move so care is needed when working with them.

Keeping them is not difficult, they require a spacious vertically orientated enclose with branches to climb on, deep substrate, and hiding spots. A water bowl should be provided. Humidity of about 75-85% and temperatures of about 80-84°F will keep them happy.

Panama Blonde - Latin name: Psalmpopoeus pulcher

This arboreal spider is a little rarer in most collections than P. irminia or P. cambridgei. Price wise they are a little more expensive than P. irminia or P. cambridgei, they also grow a little slower. Though seen for sale occassionally they are not generally readily available.

Somewhat stocky for an arboreal spider they are furry and blonde all over except for the abdomen which has a lovely blue grey colouration. This adds a real highlight to this otherwise plain coloured tarantula.

They are quite active compared to some spiders and lay a lot of web. They can often be viewed out in the open, making quite a good display animal.

P. pulcher are slightly less aggressive than other members of the Psalmpopoeus family, however as they have no urticating hairs they can be defensive and will bite if threatened. Also they can be skittish and flighty, proving very fast when they wants to be.

Not a difficult spider to keep providing you provide good ventilation and a humidity of 70-80% and temperatures of about 80°F. They require a vertically orientated enclosure with branches for climbing on and hiding spots. The substrate should be deep as in my experience these do sometimes prefer to burrow.

Although far plainer than many arboreal tarantulas, these in my mind are an under appreciated gem in any collection.

Togo Starburst - Latin name: Heteroscodra maculata

Togo Starburst tarantulas are very beautiful. Their colouration consists of a striking mixture of black, white and grey. However as with many beautiful species, as beautiful as they are, they are also the speed masters of the spider world, skittish, ultra defensive and extremely fast. The bite, which they are more than happy to attempt to deliver, is quite potent and I advise extreme caution is when dealing with these spiders.

Like many very beautiful spiders Togo Starburst are not overly keen to show off their beauty and live a secretive life of hiding, making poor display spiders that seldom appear. However they are always a treat when seen.

They require a vertically orientated enclosure with plenty of hiding places, these are doubly important because there is nothing worse than dealing with a startled Togo Starburst zooming around its enclosure whenever you open the lid. Best to ensure it has a safe place to hide, so it will be more likely to stay put during tank maintenance. A water bowl should be provided and light misting once or twice weekly.

Size wise they are quite small for arboreal tarantulas, reaching about 12-13cm leg span. They require moderate humidity of 60-75% with temperatures of 75-80°F. The substrate should be quite deep, especially for younger specimens which may prefer to burrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Semi Arboreal Spiders:

Malaysian Earth Tiger: Cyriopagopus schioedtei

Quite a large semi arboreal spider with a feisty attitude. These tarantulas are prone to rearing up to show you their fangs when disturbed and will exercise leg slapping as a warning, and will bite if given opportunity to do so. Definitely not a species for beginners, this rather hot tempered spider demands respect.

The colouring on these is really nice. They have a light coloured carapace that is olive greenish and navy blue legs with a grey blue abdomen with light red hairs. Sadly, as stunning as this Asian species is, it is not a spider I would recommend for anyone wanting a display species. My female specimen is very seldom seen, leading a secretive life and so far it has shown preference to constructing and occupying a burrow and spending the majority of its time in there. The occasions when it does come out are at night to stalk for prey, but if disturbed it will immediately seek its retreat, so when spotted it is only usually a brief glimpse.

As adults these spiders are fairly tough and hardy, but they are known for being delicate to rear requiring special attention to humidity. Temperatures of 23-26 degrees C are recommended with humidity levels of about 75-80%.

Red Rump Tree Spider - Latin name: Thrixopelma ockerti

This spider is quite rare, but is a beautiful spider that is considered to be semi arboreal. They do however prefer to live in an arboreal set up and will spend a lot of time at the top of their enclosure.

As adults they are black all over except for the abdomen which is bright fire red in colour.

Keeping them happy is not difficult, they appreciate a place to hide. A good piece of cork bark works well, although I have found specimens tend to be good display animals, often sitting out in full view.

In my experience these spiders do not tend to be aggressive, however they are skittish and very prone to flicking hairs. I have to leave my female to her own devices with minimal interverence from me, or else she ends up with a very bald butt.

I find they appreciate a water dish and like a humidity of about 75-80%. They like to be kept at between 25-28 degrees C.

Overall T. ockerti is a fantastic and relatively easy species to keep, making a nice alternative to the more condition senstive Avicularia tarantulas.

Orange Bitey Thing - Latin name: Pterinochilus murinus

Yes, the Orange Bitey Thing or “OBT” as they are often referred to is exactly as the name suggests, eight orange legs and two fangs that will bite first and ask questions only when you are dead.

Cheap to buy, extremely easy to breed and readily available, these spiders are bright orange and absolutely stunning. There is also a tan colour form known as typical, although not as bright and colourful, these are still very striking. There are two other colour forms as well the Usambara Mountain Variant and the Dark Colour Form.

These spiders are widely kept and common in many collections, but they are definitely not suitable for beginners. They are extremely fast to the point of near teleport, so extra special care needs to be taken when moving these as if they do decide to do a runner they will be gone in the blink of an eye. Rehousing should be done in the bath tub in a box inside a box.

On top of the speed we have the attitude. These spiders are defensive to the point of being aggressive. The slightest disturbance and your OBT will be reared up, fangs splayed and ready for business.

However, if adequate care is taken and you leave your OBT to its own devices, you will find they are superb tarantulas to keep. They are very hardy and do well in a drier enclosure, humidity of about 50-60% and temperatures of 75-80°F. They do best in an enclosure with both terrestrial and arboreal hides, and you will find that most of the enclosure swiftly becomes cocooned in thick sheets of web.

These spiders feed well on crickets and the spiderlings grow fast with adults attaining legspans of between about 10-15cm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terrestrial Species:

(Note: for Brachypelma species please see Brachypelma Page and for Theraphosa please visit the Theraphosa page.)

Haitian Brown - Latin name: Phormictopus cancerides

This spider is a big, chunky brown terrestrial species. the most beautiful thing about it are the highlights on the carapace which can appear gold coloured to almost purple. Mature males are particularly stunning with vivid purple tinges and highlights.

This is not a spider for beginners, it is bad tempered and will rear up and attempt to strike when disturbed. I have seen it appear in the ten worst tempered tarantulas list.

On the positive side they are very beautiful, and very hardy tarantulas. I find 75-85% humidity works well, and a water dish must be available. They are considered obligate burrowers so should be provided with a deep layer of slightly moist substrate so they can dig their burrows.

Feeding them is easy as they will eagerly take offered crickets and I find for an adult 1-2 large crickets a week is plenty.

New River Rust Rump - Latin Name: Aphonopelma sp. "New River"

This is a very large and stocky desert species that although relatively new to the hobby is hardy and long lived, and has a docile temperament making it suitable for beginners.

They are very attractive to look at being gold or orange with black femurs and a nice light coloured carapace. They can grow to have a leg span of up to 19cm.

Being a desert species they prefer to be kept on the dry side with a humidy of about 50-60%. A water dish should be available at all times. They also like temperatures of about 24-26 degrees C.

I personally would recommend these beauties to anyone who likes big, beautiful spiders that spend lots of time out in the open. I have also noted it is quite an active species as tarantulas go.

#

Cobalt Blue - Latin name: Haplopelma lividum

This Asian spider is brilliant blue in colour, making it a very beautiful addition to my collection. However, beautiful as it is, seeing it is a very rare treat indeed. My adult specimen did not take long to dig down into the deep substrate and now lives in a very deep burrow. If I look very carefully I can see the tips of its toes as it nestles safe in the den. I have seen it in full veiw maybe three times since I acquired it.

My specimen has however revealed itself to be a mature male. I have spotted it once or twice and it has the leggy look typical of males a small abdomen and spurs on its front legs.

The Cobalt Blue is very short tempered and is a mean, nasty spider, my specimen for once is no exception. If he does happen to be out the slightest disruption will cause him to go into the threat posture with his legs in the air and his fangs poised to strike. I do not believe he would hesitate to bite given the chance.

The spider needs good ventilation and high humidity. I keep my specimen at a temperature of 25 degrees C with a humidity of 80-90%.

(Page under construction - changes being made, more descriptions to follow ...)

Indian Violet - Latin name: Chilobrachys fimbriatus

King Baboon - Latin name Citharischius crawshayi (Pelinobius muticus)

Chilian Rose (NCF) - Latin Name: Grammostola porteri

Chilean Rose (RCF) - Latin name: Grammostola rosea

Chaco Golden Knee - Latin name: Grammostola pulcheripes

Brazilian Black - Latin name: Grammostola pulchra

Desert Blonde - Latin name: Aphonopelma chalcodes

Rusty Baboon - Latin name: Hysterocrates sp. "Cameroon"

Horned Baboon

Mustard Baboon