A tiny tarantula

This is another post about spiders that Sean McCann found and photographed on his recent trip to Guyana

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When you think of tarantulas (mygalomorph spiders in the family Theraphosidae), the first thing that comes to mind is probably a huge hairy spider like the famous face-sized Goliath bird-eating spider.

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Sean with a male goliath bird eating spider on his head in Guyana. Note: don’t try this at home. Photo: Jonathan Meiburg.

But not all tarantulas are large! Here is a tiny tarantula from the rainforest of Guyana.

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To get a better idea of the size of this spider, here’s a shot of Sean’s traveling companion, Jonathan Meiburg, photographing the little beastie.

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This tarantula is less than 2 cm long and likely not yet mature, but even full-sized it will be less than 3 cm long.

We suspect that this is a Neostenotarsus species, but there is not much information available about these tarantulas. What I have been able to find indicates that they are fairly well known in the pet trade, but information on their biology is lacking.

UPDATE: Thanks to Stuart Longhorn for informing us that this spider is most likely in the genus Catanduba, not Neostenotarsus (likewise for the images linked above).

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The wee spider strikes a defensive pose.

The size and colour of this tarantula reminded Sean of a velvet ant when he first saw it.

IMG_2662What do you think? 

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A velvet ant (actually a wingless wasp!) also found in Guyana.

 

3 thoughts on “A tiny tarantula

  1. Ran across a large (looked naked) white spider hiding in my large fern with a silken web showing, while pruning. Couldn’t see any markings. I live in Orange County, Southern California. Saw the same type of spider in Laguna Beach.

    • Hi Marilyn, do you have a photo of the spider? If so, please feel free to send it to me in an email and I can try to identify it.

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