Theraphosidae sp. tordo

Theraphosidae sp. tordo is one of those species that reach keepers before anyone has had the chance to describe them scientifically. It has no assigned genus, no species description, and publicly available sources say very little about it with any certainty. In the tarantula world this is a familiar story: plenty of now well-known species started life as a mysterious "sp." with a short working name.

Its looks speak for themselves: the specimen pictured is a densely haired tarantula in a warm salmon-pink, with a darker abdomen and legs cloaked in long pale hairs. Final size and temperament are questions that only time in captivity will answer. That is exactly where its value lies for a collector: from L1 onwards, every change, every moult, the way it arranges its retreat and takes prey can be followed first-hand. This is a spider for observation in the enclosure, and a keeper's notes may well become one of the first reliable accounts of this species in the hobby.

L1 spiderlings do best in a small container with a few centimetres of coconut fibre, a small hide and good ventilation. Keep part of the substrate lightly moist with regular misting and part of it dry, so the spider can choose for itself. Spiderlings drink from droplets on the walls and substrate; a water dish comes in only for larger specimens. Room temperature is sufficient. Offer small prey sized to the spider and watch how it responds.

This is one for experienced keepers and collectors of rarities who knowingly choose the unknown. A species rarely seen on offer, without a scientific name and without ready answers. Choosing it means choosing discovery: the moults to come will show what lies behind the name tordo.