The cobalt blue tarantula or ''Cyriopagopus lividus'' is a species of

tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although m ...

which is in the family

Theraphosidae Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although m ...

which is native to

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

and over the border into

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. It was originally described as ''Haplopelma lividum''.

Description

The cobalt blue tarantula is a medium-sized tarantula with a leg span around 13 cm (5 in). It is noted for its

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

blue legs and light gray

prosoma The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...

and

opisthosoma The opisthosoma is the posterior part of the body in some arthropods, behind the prosoma (cephalothorax). It is a distinctive feature of the subphylum Chelicerata (arachnids, horseshoe crabs and others). Although it is similar in most respects to ...

, the latter of which may contain darker gray chevrons. Males and females look the same until the ultimate (final) molt of the males. At this point, the male exhibits

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most an ...

in the form of a light tan or bronze coloration and legginess. Additionally, males gain a palpal bulb on the pedipalps and tibial apophyses (mating hooks). The female eventually becomes larger than the male and lives years longer. The cobalt blue tarantula is a

fossorial A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees. Prehistoric evid ...

species and spends nearly all of its time in deep burrows of its own construction. Image:Haplopelma lividum - captive breeding.jpg, A female (left) and male (right) in courtship in captivity Image:2iH lividum.JPG, A second-instar spiderling cobalt blue tarantula near burrow

Habitat

Cobalt blue tarantulas inhabit the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, where they construct deep burrows, and generally only leave them to find food.

Pets

The cobalt blue tarantula is a mainstay in the pet trade, despite being a fast and defensive tarantula with potent venom. Bites from this species can result in severe muscle cramps and inflammation.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q134978 Theraphosidae Spiders of Asia