Linothele megatheloides

Linothele megatheloides

Linothele megatheloides is not a tarantula but a mygalomorph of the family Dipluridae — a funnel-web spider endemic to Colombia. It carries a cool, bluish sheen, yet the real star here is not the spider itself but what it builds: a sprawling, dense curtain of silk that fills the entire enclosure in no time. It is one of the most spectacular weavers you can keep at home.

In the wild it occupies crevices and recesses among vegetation, building elaborate silken tunnel systems. It is exceptionally alert and reacts instantly to the slightest tremor of its web — that is how it "reads" the world. It can be fast and skittish, and its bite is reported to be painful; this is not a species for contact, but for observation from the other side of the glass. As a funnel-web it has no urticating hairs — its defences are speed and its chelicerae.

In the terrarium the anchor points for its web are key: pieces of cork oak bark and artificial or live plants on which it will stretch its construction. It prefers higher humidity, so keep the substrate moist (not wet) with good ventilation; room temperature is sufficient. Feeding is a pleasure in itself — the moment the whole web comes alive.

This is a species for the intermediate keeper fascinated by behaviour and architecture rather than handling a spider. Linothele megatheloides turns a terrarium into a living installation of silk — and that is precisely where its magic lies.