Phrixotrichus scrofa

size  1/2”

This spider has an incredible history as it was described all the way back in 1782 by Chilean naturalist Juan Ignacio Molina. At the time it was known as Aranea scrofa, but has had many taxonomic changes over the centuries. This genus is known for its double patches of urticating hairs that are found on both sides of the abdomen. These patches are especially noticeable on the slings. This spider should not be confused with Paraphysa scrofa that was sold in the hobby for years (which is now a Euathlus sp.) The confusion comes from when Paraphysa scrofa was synonymized with Phrixotrichus scrofa in 2014. The problem lies with the spider we had in the hobby labeled as Paraphysa scrofa was never P.scrofa in the first place, as it lacked those double patches of urticating hairs. 

I’m super excited to have a new Phrixotrichus species in the hobby. It’s unclear how big this terrestrial species from Chile gets, but Id guess around 5 inches as adults would be fitting. Adults are a beautiful pink/ rose color. Very limited !