haplopelma lividum (thailand)

[lee smith]

i was just wondering is there much colour difference between males and females in this species??

also at what size does the blue colour start to show??

[Nicola Dolby]

lividium colour

YES. Fortunately this is one of those species where you know what you've got without getting the microscope out. The females start off a light brown colour and with moults you will see segments of their legs go black. these will begin to turn flourescent blue as the spider grows, the carapace and abdomen will turn grey (with tiger stripes on the abdomen) and the legs will become totally blue. The abdomen will turn black (sometimes the carapace will as well) and you will end up with something like the picture on the front page of this site.
The male's (and I have only ever seen one live specimen) have more slate-grey legs with a double white pin stripe down them, a flourescent blue tint when the light catches them and the carapace and abdomen the same as the female (sometimes I gather with a brownish tint).
sometimes you can get species where one gender looks stunning and the other just good, however with lividiums both male and female look stunning. The dark segments on mine started to show blue when the daylight hit them about 6cm, with full blown blue legs about 8.5cm. Hope this helps.

P.S. If anyone can tell me how long male lividiums live for I'd appreciate it. My female hasn't matured yet and I was wondering whether to buy a male now or leave it until she is mature. Thanks!

[lee smith]

cool, thanks nicola. mine is about 1 1/2-2 cm legspan (ish). it doesnt come out of its burrow, but i can see it through the side of its tub. its built lots of tunnels and in the last few days has built a large chamber.

[Nicola Dolby]

haplopelma

What I used to do with mine when she was that size was kill a maggot and put it at the burrow entrance for food. You could guarantee that half an hour later I would go back and she'd have been and snatched it! now she's much bigger and has an appetite which I've had to curb, if it moves she seems to want to eat it. She's just started with a water bowl too, before she was happy with the moisture from the food she had. She's only about 8.5cm but very lively. Whilst very skittish, like all lividiums apparently, there is no aggression with her, and she isn't too bothered about sitting outside her burrow in the daylight either! Beautiful tarantula. Everyone should keep one.

[lee smith]

mine hapily will take crickets that are about the same size as it, hes made a little "ambush" room and grabs the crickets from underneth as they walk over it.