Species library

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Costa Rican red and black - large terrestrial, deep substrate, water dish. 75-80% humidity; slightly damper care than Mexican species.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Bolivian red rump - hardy and fast-growing. Dry substrate with a water dish, standard terrestrial setup. Kicks urticating hairs when disturbed. Adults take large prey fortnightly.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

15-18 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

The Argentinian Bronze Birdeater - the pampas powerhouse long traded as "A. suina" before that name sank into its synonymy (Gabriel, 2020). Rusty-bronze, massively built at 15-18 cm, with a growth rate and appetite geniculata keepers will recognise instantly. Famously a "road spider" in Argentina - mature males wander in broad daylight - and in the tub it is a calm, nocturnal, always-visible glutton. One of the best-value big New Worlds: fast, cheap slings at around £30 that become impressive display animals within a couple of years.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

19-23 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~8mo

Bone-white bands on every "knee". Fast-growing and ravenous; reaches 21 cm. Provide generous floor space.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Bolivian black - a robust, undemanding terrestrial. Dry substrate, water dish, hide. Moderate humidity (60-70%) from a damp corner, not misting.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

A rarer Brazilian white-banded terrestrial. Dry substrate with a water dish and hide; keep similar to other Acanthoscurria. Adults 30x30 cm floor space.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

13-16 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~11mo

Velvety black rump tarantula from the Chaco of Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina - one of the calmest Acanthoscurria, and the species long traded in the hobby as "A. sternalis" (a synonym). Despite the old "Brazilian Black Velvet" trade name it is not Brazilian. Females reach about 13-15 cm, mature around six years (a published life-cycle study gives roughly 20 moults) and can live well past a decade. A big, docile, always-visible display spider that eats everything offered.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

13-16 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~11mo

Big brown Brazilian birdeater from the north-east caatinga, and the valid name for the spider the hobby long sold as "A. parahybana" (now a synonym). Dark brown-black body set with white hairs from knee to toe, heavy-bodied and bold at feeding time but relaxed with keepers. Sits in the open, grows to 13-15 cm, and shares the easy husbandry of its genus. Rare in UK shops - a breeder/show species.

Temp

22-27°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

16-20 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

The giant black-and-white Acanthoscurria described way back in 1871 - the hobby name "brocklehursti" (Giant Whitebanded) is its junior synonym. Narrow white bands at every leg joint over a black frame, an Amazonian giant at 16-20 cm legspan, and hair-flicking to match the size. Bold rather than aggressive, an eating machine. Taxonomy footnote: the huge 18-23 cm "brocklehursti" of old trade lists is now thought to be a wide-banded variant of A. geniculata.

Temp

23-27°C

Humidity

65-80%

Adult DLS

13-16 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

South American orange tree spider - a bright orange arboreal that comes with genuine speed: one of the fastest genera in the hobby. Described in 2022 from Brazil and French Guiana (old hobby stock circulated as Tapinauchenius/Pseudoclamoris gigas). New World in geography, but as a psalmopoeine it has NO urticating hairs - its defences are teleport-level speed and a willingness to bite. A look-but-don't-touch display animal for keepers comfortable with fast arboreals.

Temp

20-26°C

Humidity

60-70%

Adult DLS

8-10 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~10mo

A high-Andean tiger rump dwarf from the Cordillera Blanca of Peru - dark body, metallic blue-grey femora and a red-bronze abdominal pattern, renamed into the genus Anqasha (Sherwood & Gabriel, 2022, after the Quechua word for blue and the Áncash region). Photographed in the wild at 2,500 m, this is a genuinely cool-climate tarantula that thrives at UK room temperature. Quick and flighty rather than defensive, 8-10 cm, and a relative newcomer to UK shops at around £35 a sling. Taxonomic flux note: "picta" stock may also involve the closely related A. lima or A. minaperinensis lineages.

Temp

18-22°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

10-12 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~11mo

The Andean Blue Beauty ("Herradura" = horseshoe, after its type locality) - an undescribed Antikuna, the genus that holds the ALTITUDE RECORD for any tarantula (4,689 m in Peru). Gorgeous blue over a fossorial lifestyle: burrows under stones with a light silk collar, disappears for days, then ambushes with a quick lunge. Cool care to the bone (18-22 °C, no heat mat ever) - a British windowsill is practically its homeland. Brand new to the hobby at £60 a sling.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Texas tan - a slow-growing, drought-tolerant desert species. Bone-dry substrate, small water dish, minimal humidity. Deep substrate optional; they burrow opportunistically.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Mexican bloodleg - a slow-growing dwarf-medium desert species. Dry coco fibre substrate, water dish, half-log hide. Patience required - grows very slowly.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

40-55%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~18mo

Obligate deep-burrower from one of the driest native ranges in the hobby. Keep substrate bone-dry.

Temp

21-28°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

10-13 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~11mo

The Costa Rican Bluefront - a chocolate-brown Aphonopelma with striking steel-blue chelicerae and front legs, from Costa Rican dry forest. Classic New World thrift: docile, reclusive, given to sealing its burrow and fasting for weeks on end for no visible reason. Slow-growing even by Aphonopelma standards, with females among the longest-lived spiders in the hobby at 20-30 years. A patient, undemanding species that rewards keepers who like their tarantulas calm and their care schedules relaxed.

Temp

21-27°C

Humidity

40-55%

Adult DLS

12-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~12mo

The Carlsbad Green (Aphonopelma gabeli, Smith 1995) - a Chihuahuan Desert Aphonopelma with an olive-bronze carapace sheen (brightest fresh after a moult) and comically oversized chelicerae for its frame. Desert-proof in captivity: months-long fasts, bone-dry substrate, decades-long females - US keepers literally call damp substrate the top cause of death for this species. Calm, slow and nearly indestructible, the way only American Aphonopelma are. UK stock is scarce and often wild-caught pairs; CB slings appear rarely and are worth the wait.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Texas brown - extremely hardy. Bone-dry substrate, water dish, low humidity. Tolerant of room temperature fluctuation; no supplementary heat needed in most homes.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Nevada dust - a forgiving arid terrestrial. Dry, well-draining substrate with a water dish. Growth very slow; feeds sparingly as an adult.

Temp

20-26°C

Humidity

40-55%

Adult DLS

12-16 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~12mo

The Madera Canyon Black - an ebony montane Aphonopelma from a sliver of the Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, described in the great 2016 US revision. Cool-tolerant by descent (mountain nights are cold), easy by genus tradition: calm, dry-kept, slow-growing, decades-lived. Narrow natural range means CB stock is limited and treasured - UK slings at around £40 vanish quickly. A bulletproof, jet-black American classic in miniature.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Rio Grande gold - a desert grassland species. Dry substrate, water dish, standard terrestrial floor space. Slow growth and a relaxed disposition.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Costa Rican zebra - a burrower from streamside banks. Give 15-20 cm of slightly damp packed substrate and a starter burrow against the glass; they dig extensively.

Temp

20-28°C

Humidity

50-60%

Adult DLS

9-12 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~12mo

The Yucatan Chocolate - an undescribed Mexican Aphonopelma in rich mahogany-brown, first offered in the UK in 2026. Everything about it follows the genus playbook: docile, slow-growing, decades-lived females, dry easy husbandry. Husbandry history is short (provisional stats throughout) but Aphonopelma are among the most forgiving tarantulas on earth. A rare, pretty curiosity for New World collectors at £70+ a sling.

Temp

20-28°C

Humidity

50-60%

Adult DLS

10-12 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~12mo

The Veracruz Diamond Back - another undescribed Mexican Aphonopelma, named for the pale diamond marking on its carapace over dark abdomen and rear legs contrasting with pale front limbs. Sized and coloured like its cousin A. bicoloratum, and equally easy: docile, slow, dry-kept, decades-lived. Rare in the UK - slings are cheap when they appear, adult females command three figures. A low-effort, long-haul New World for patient collectors.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~6mo

Described to science in 2024 from the montane rainforests of East Java - and known in the hobby for years as Phormingochilus sp. "Rufus" - the Peach Earth Tiger is a fast-growing Old World arboreal cloaked in soft peach-orange setae over dark legs. Females reach around 14 cm, web heavily around vertical cork, and are voracious, no-nonsense feeders. Defensive and very quick, with potent venom and no urticating hairs, this is an advanced display species that is rewarding to keep but should never be handled.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

60-70%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~9mo

Golden carapace and femurs on a dark body. African fossorial - appreciates deep dry substrate.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

70-85%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~8mo

Classic dark-bodied pink-toed arboreal. Needs strong cross-ventilation - stagnant humidity kills Avicularia.

Temp

22-27°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

13-17 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

The Giant Pinktoe - the largest pinktoe in the hobby at 13-17 cm, velvety dark green-grey with peach-pink toe tips. Name caveat: "braunshauseni" is a nomen dubium (the 2017 Avicularia revision found the type was never deposited), so this is a stable hobby label rather than a confirmed species - good captive stock is worth preserving regardless. Classic tall-enclosure pinktoe care: cross-ventilation or it dies, misted walls, and lightning bolts when startled.

Temp

20-26°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

12-17 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

The Woolly Pinktoe - one of the largest Avicularia, steel-black with exceptionally long frosted setae and pink toe pads (owners describe it as a giant pink bog brush). Ecuadorian hobby stock, usually from the Misahualli region. "huriana" is a nomen dubium (type never deposited; excluded from the valid 2017 Avicularia list) so trade animals are honestly Avicularia sp. "huriana" - identical husbandry to the other big pinktoes, and rarely bred.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

70-85%

Adult DLS

14-17 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Amazon pinktoe - same care as A. avicularia but slightly warmer (24-28 C). Tall, airy arboreal setup, vertical cork tube, one wall misted and allowed to dry.