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Cobalt blue tarantula

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Species of spider

Cobalt blue tarantula
In Kaeng Krachan District, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Theraphosidae
Genus: Cyriopagopus
Species: C. lividus
Binomial name
Cyriopagopus lividus
(Smith, 1996)
Synonyms
  • Haplopelma lividum Smith, 1996

The cobalt blue tarantula or Cyriopagopus lividus is a species of tarantula which is in the family Theraphosidae which is native to Myanmar and over the border into Thailand. It was originally described as Haplopelma lividum.

Description

The cobalt blue tarantula is a medium-sized tarantula with a leg span around 13 cm (5.1 in). It is noted for its iridescent blue legs and light gray prosoma and opisthosoma, 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 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 species and spends nearly all of its time in deep burrows of its own construction. The venom of the tarantula is not enough to kill a human, but it can badly sting them and be extremely painful. The venom contains glutamic acid, at 0.97% concentration. Histamine and adenosine were detected at 0.14% and 0.10% with the polyamine spermine noted in trace amounts at 0.002% (Moore et al., 2009).

  • A female (left) and male (right) in courtship in captivity A female (left) and male (right) in courtship in captivity
  • A second-instar spiderling cobalt blue tarantula near burrow 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

  1. ^ "Taxon details Cyriopagopus lividus Smith, 1996", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-03-18
  2. "บึ้งน้ำเงินเพชฌฆาต สวยประหารพันธุ์ดุ" [The killer cobalt blue tarantula, fierce femme fatale]. Thai Rath (in Thai). 2009-05-15. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  3. Photos of Haplopelma lividum
  4. Panecasio, Steph. "Scientists have figured out why some tarantulas are bright blue". CNET. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
  5. "Cobalt Blue Tarantula".
  6. Smith, A. M. (1996). "A new species of Haplopelma (Araneae: Theraphosidae), with notes on two close relatives". Mygalomorph. 1: 21–32.
  7. Takaoka Makoto (2001). "Tarantulas Bite: Two Case Reports of Finger Bite from Haplopelma lividum". The Japanese Journal of Toxicology. 14 (3): 247–250. PMID 11692582.
  8. "Cobalt Blue Tarantula (Haplopelma lividum)". Keeping Exotic Pets. Retrieved 2016-04-03.

Moore, S., Smyth, W. F., Gault, V., O’Kane, E., & McClean, S. (2009c). Mass spectrometric characterisation and quantitation of selected low molecular mass compounds from the venom of Haplopelma lividum (Theraphosidae). Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 23(12), 1747–1755. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.4063

Taxon identifiers
Haplopelma lividum
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