Typhochlaena seladonia

size 1/4”

One of the most unique and beautiful tarantulas in the world. This small arboreal tarantula builds a trap door on the sides of tree. They will chew up bark and moss from their surrounding habitat to camouflage these trapdoors. It’s one of the most unusual behaviors that is limited to the Typhochlaena genus.  This spider was originally described as Mygale seladonia all the way back in 1841 by German arachnologist Carl Ludwig Koch. They have since gone through many taxonomic changes since and was virtually unseen until the genus Typhochlaena.was resurrected in 2022 by Rogério Bertani. 

Spiderlings of this species should be kept in a small vial with adequate ventilation. A small piece of cork bark should be added for them to built their trap door on, along with moss and other decorative materials for them to camouflage their hides. Some spiderling can take a couple of months before they actually build their trapdoor. However they will still hunt their food like any tarantula, before they utilize the trapdoor. Small prey such as tiny crickets and fruit flies should be offered. Spiderling of any aviculariine species can be fragile, but once they get some size on them, they become super easy to keep. Typhochlaena seladonia has proven to be super easy to breed over the years and has become well established in captive collections around the world.