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Species: Eresus illustris
Common name: Ladybird spider
Native range: Central and South-Eastern Europe ❗
Temperature: 22–28°C; room temperature suits it well
Humidity: Low — never water; they take moisture from their prey (moisture is fatal to them)
Adult size: Females reach about 1.5 cm body length
Lifestyle: Terrestrial (silk-lined burrow)
Speed: Moderate
Venom potency: Mild
Temperament: Secretive
Recommended for: Intermediate keepers
Notes: Ladybird spider (Eresidae); no urticating hairs; not listed under CITES
Eresus illustris
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Description
Eresus illustris
Eresus illustris is one of the ladybird spiders — European velvet spiders whose males wear one of the most striking liveries in the entire spider world: a vivid red abdomen marked with black spots against a velvety black body. The female is larger and dressed in dark, subdued tones — the contrast between the sexes is one of the main reasons this genus fascinates keepers.
It is a terrestrial, secretive species. It digs a vertical, silk-lined burrow and camouflages the entrance with a sheet of silk and substrate debris, from which it waits for prey. It spends most of its time hidden — watching an Eresus is a game of patience, rewarded when the spider leans out at the mouth of its burrow.
In the terrarium one rule matters above all: **keep it dry**. This is a species of warm, dry habitats — keep the substrate dry, with no misting and no water dish; excess moisture is fatal. A small, well-ventilated enclosure with enough substrate to build a burrow, at room temperature, is all it needs.
This is one for the keeper looking beyond the usual canon — a small European jewel with a spectacular male, asking mainly for dry, quiet space.