Phormingochilus arboricola

Phormingochilus arboricola

Phormingochilus arboricola comes from the lowland forests of northern Borneo — from Sarawak and Sabah, where equatorial humidity reigns year-round. Known in the hobby as the "Borneo Black", the name says it all: its body is deep, velvety black, with barely visible dark stripes on the abdomen and a purple undertone that reveals itself only in good light. It is elegance at its darkest.

This is an arboreal species and a predator with temperament. It is fast, alert and distinctly defensive — it prefers to retreat into its hide, but can react in an instant when it feels threatened. As an Old World representative it has no urticating hairs; its asset is speed, and in defence it resorts to its chelicerae. In captivity it rewards the observer with dynamic hunts and the building of silken tube retreats high above the substrate.

In the terrarium it needs a tall structure, with a vertically placed cork tube and plants over which it will stretch its web. It likes high humidity and warmth: keep the substrate moist (not wet), with good ventilation and regular misting. It is a species that organises its whole life vertically — and that is also how it is best admired.

This is one for the experienced keeper who values fast, arboreal Old World species and their dark elegance. Phormingochilus arboricola is a black that comes alive in motion — a spider for connoisseurs of tree-dwelling predators.