Cobalt blue tarantula

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.

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).

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

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

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.

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