Species library

Temp

20-24°C

Humidity

50-60%

Adult DLS

13-16 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~10mo

An undescribed Chilean Euathlus from the Valparaíso Region that entered the hobby via a 2008 import and was previously sold as "Aphonopelma aberrans" - a name now considered a nomen dubium (Gabriel, 2013). Physically very similar to E. truculentus but noticeably larger: a brown body, golden carapace, red-brown abdominal hairs and two reddish knee stripes on a 13-15 cm frame - one of the biggest of the Chilean Euathlus group. Field observations note it shelters under large rocks and in crevices rather than excavating burrows. Same famous calm temperament; slow-growing with decades-lived females.

Temp

20-24°C

Humidity

50-65%

Adult DLS

8-10 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~11mo

The metallic blue-femur colour form of Euathlus truculentus - the type species of the genus, described by L. Koch in 1875 from central Chile and confirmed valid in the World Spider Catalog. A small, beautifully marked dwarf (8-10 cm) from Mediterranean scrubland around Coquimbo and Valparaíso: dark body, glowing blue-grey femora and famously placid "guinea pig" temper. One of the calmest tarantulas in the hobby - slow-moving, inquisitive, almost never defensive. Very slow-growing and cool-tolerant; captive-bred slings appear periodically in the UK at £50-65.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

50-65%

Adult DLS

10-12 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

The Tanzania Stout Leg - an arid-country oddity unmistakable at a glance: normal front legs, then two enormous club-shaped rear pairs used as digging shovels and anchors. A statue-still pet hole that excavates deep vertical shafts in hard Tanzanian scrub soil, then explodes into motion when molested - defensive with assumed-potent Old World venom, but far more manageable than the Asian earth tigers, and often recommended as a first fossorial Old World for that reason. Sporadic UK availability makes CB stock worth grabbing.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

12-14 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Pinkish-brown with faint striping on the legs. Very docile - a great alternative to Grammostola.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

55-65%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~11mo

The Argentine Pink Zebra Beauty - described as recently as 2012 from the Chaco of Argentina and quietly one of the best beginner tarantulas nobody has heard of: a big rosy-cream zebra-striped female (13-15 cm) with the calmest temperament in the trade, happy at UK room temperature, and an enthusiastic substrate landscaper that restructures its enclosure nightly. Distinguish from its cousin campestratus by the striped rear legs. Slow-growing with 20-year female lifespans - buy a sling, inherit a family heirloom.

Temp

20-26°C

Humidity

55-70%

Adult DLS

10-13 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~11mo

Peruvian velvet with an olive-green metallic carapace and greenish shimmer, brightest just after a moult. One of the few tarantulas genuinely happy at ordinary UK room temperature - its arid scrub home means dry substrate, a water dish and no extra heat. Docile and a great display spider that sits out in the open, but a notorious hair-kicker: pretty, not pettable. (Renamed Ewok pruriens in the 2025 Sherwood et al. revision - most of the old Thrixopelma genus moved into the newly erected Ewok, named after the Star Wars Ewoks because they too are small and furry. UK trade now sells it as "Ewok pruriens" / "Endor Green Velvet"; husbandry is unchanged.)

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

16-20 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~18mo

Stocky chocolate-brown tarantula with pinkish setae. Rarely seen in the UK hobby but occasionally available.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

60-70%

Adult DLS

15-19 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~24mo

Larger and browner than G. pulchra. Very docile, very slow-growing.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

16-20 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~18mo

Larger and redder than G. pulchra. Slow grower, defensive of burrows when disturbed.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Northern Chilean rose - identical care to G. rosea: dry substrate, water dish, minimal fuss.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

60-70%

Adult DLS

15-19 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~24mo

Velvety jet-black, very slow-growing and docile. Tolerant of dry conditions but appreciates a moist retreat.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Chaco golden knee - dry substrate, water dish, hide. 55-65% humidity. Docile, slow-growing, huge adult; premium beginner species.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Chaco grey - standard Grammostola care: dry substrate, water dish, hide. Docile and tolerant.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

50-60%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~18mo

Hardy, drought-tolerant desert species. Famous for long fasting spells - not a cause for alarm.

Temp

22-25°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

7-10 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~7mo

The Brazilian Savannah Dwarf (Guyruita cerrado) - TYPE SPECIES of a genus whose name is Tupi for "to go underneath rocks", which is exactly the lifestyle: Cerrado savannah burrows under rocks and bark. Semi-dwarf, unassuming brown until the light catches it, shy but mild, and barely represented in collections. £12 slings make it one of the cheapest genuinely rare genera in the hobby. Give it a pebble and watch the genus name make sense.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Colombian dwarf red leg - dwarf terrestrial; small enclosure, damp corner, tiny water dish.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

10-12 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~7mo

The Yasuni Bumblebee (Hapalopus planetearth, described 2025 from Ecuador's Yasuní - named to "celebrate life on our planet"; the trade's "planetearthi" spelling adds an unneeded "i") - dark body, red-orange legs and a crowned carapace pattern that shows even in slings. Genuinely one of the most striking recent descriptions, and priced like it (£225 slings). Warm, damp, quick-growing and flighty rather than defensive - a premium dwarf for collectors who want the newest names.

Temp

22-26°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

5-7 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~3mo

Pumpkin-orange patches on a black background. A small, fast-growing dwarf - perfect for a compact enclosure.

Temp

20-24°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

6-8 cm

Moult

Sling ~2w - Adult ~6mo

The Fire Red Pumpkin (Hapalopus vangoghi, 2024 - named for the Van Gogh paint-stroke abdominal pattern; the old hobby label was "Guerilla") - black carapace, fire-red legs and a speckled "gothic patch" abdomen on a 6-8 cm dwarf. Rambles and stays visible, mature females in 2-3 years, cheap at £22 a sling. One of the best small-colour species of the recent description wave - shy and fast-moving, never defensive.

Temp

18-24°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

8-10 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~11mo

The High Valley Blue (Hapalotremus hananqheswa, 2021 - Quechua for "high valley") - a blue Peruvian Andean with a mirror patch, from genuinely high altitude. Cool-kept like its cousin the "Puma" (18-24 °C, no heat mat), skittish and reclusive rather than defensive, with a bank-substrate burrowing habit. Super-rare at £60 a sling and slow-growing - a keeper's piece rather than a starter, despite the easy temperament.

Temp

18-22°C

Humidity

70-80%

Adult DLS

10-13 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~11mo

The Highland White & Red ("Puma") - an undescribed Andean Hapalotremus from the Cusco highlands of Peru: white legs, blonde carapace, vivid red abdomen, and a rose-gold urticating patch. A cool-kept (18-22 °C), gentle New World oddball that lives under rocks rather than digging - give hides, not deep substrate. Genuinely rare at £65 a sling, and a curious, calm temperament that makes the price feel earned. Highland husbandry: cool, stable, no heat mat.

Temp

24-26°C

Humidity

65-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~4w - Adult ~10mo

The Kali Earth Tiger - a stunning undescribed Indian Haploclastus (no described species matches; 7 exist in the genus), new enough that the vendor's own temperament field reads "don't know". Early word: similar care to the LSD Earth Tiger (Cilantica devamatha) - deep burrows, defensive Old World manners - but "relatively easy". £40 CB slings; another Western Ghats endemic for advanced keepers.

Temp

23-27°C

Humidity

50-60%

Adult DLS

7-9 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~10mo

Purcell's Baboon (Harpactira baviana, Purcell 1903 - ignore vendor pages crediting Pocock) - a small, smart South African baboon from semi-arid Karoo scrub, building elaborate tunnel-and-tube web architecture instead of a simple burrow. One of the most manageable Old Worlds: reclusive and docile by baboon standards, no urticating hairs, happy dry. Rare in the UK and priced accordingly (£70 for CB females), but genuinely one of the best 'first African Old World' candidates for keepers wanting webbing behaviour without earth-tiger attitude.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Cape baboon - deep dry-to-slightly-damp substrate, water dish. 55-65% humidity suits this savanna species.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

60-75%

Adult DLS

13-15 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~12mo

Dictator baboon - deep substrate, drier side (55-65%). Defensive African; display species.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

50-65%

Adult DLS

12-14 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~9mo

Sun-gold carapace and blue-metallic legs. Relatively calm for an Old World baboon; likes dry substrate.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

60-70%

Adult DLS

12-14 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~8mo

Starry-patterned Old World arboreal from West Africa. Fast, defensive, and a powerful bite.

Temp

22-28°C

Humidity

65-80%

Adult DLS

5-8 cm

Moult

Sling ~2w - Adult ~3mo

The Gabon Blue Dwarf - a 5-7 cm African jewel with cobalt-blue legs and a metallic gold carapace, draping its enclosure in dense web curtains within weeks. One of the few tarantulas with genuine communal potential (wild colonies and successful communal setups are documented), though crowding always risks cannibalism - give space, hides and anchor points. Fast, flighty and completely uninterested in biting. A fascinating dwarf for keepers who like webbing, breeding projects or colony experiments, appearing irregularly as CB stock.

Temp

24-28°C

Humidity

60-70%

Adult DLS

4-6 cm

Moult

Sling ~3w - Adult ~3mo

Small fast-growing dwarf that thrives communally. Prolific webber; great for compact setups.

Temp

21-27°C

Humidity

75-85%

Adult DLS

5-7 cm

Moult

Sling ~2w - Adult ~3mo

The Trinidad Pink - a hummingbird-sized dwarf from its namesake island that glows coral-pink across carapace and abdomen for weeks after each moult. A Neoholothele-style whirlwind: fast-growing, heavy-webbing, tunnels through its substrate like a miniature earthmover, and matures in about a year. Docile but far too quick and fragile to handle. A perfect "little sparkler" species for dwarf fans - cheap, charming and constantly busy.