#Chromatopelma

[herpsandbirds]

Trick or treat!! 🎃🎃🎃

CREEPY CRAWLY TIME BEBE!!!

Greenbottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens), family Theraphosidae, found on the Paraguaná Peninsula in the Venezuelan state of Falcón

photograph by Didier Descouens

[el-nahual]

A veces se le olvida a uno 😅 #sr_nahual #arthropods #tarantula #beetle #tliltocatl #insectsofinstagram #coleoptera #scarabaeidae #dynastes #megasoma #cetoniinae #spidersofinstagram #rutelinae #arthropodsofinstagram #chromatopelma #brachypelma #nature #camping #mexico #dynastinae #cerambycidae #chrysomelidae #theraphosidae #nature #pepsis #parasite #megasomaelephas #taxidermia #taxidermy #taxidermyart (en Pachuca De Soto, Hidalgo, Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmDTNz0D5tj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lychens]

bred some tarantulas for the first time & it was definitely a successful pairing 🥳🥳 here's hoping it results in a sack and i can have little murderous arachnid grandbabies

[alexzpaintings]

Freshly molted cutie ✨✨✨✨ love her sm

[ladygaga11]

[kirstielol]

my green bottle blue tarantula 🫶

[mirkwood-trash]

Life hack: bring home crickets and friends will come out

[8-legged-cats]

Did a rehouse for Puddle and they immediately started webbing up their enclosure

[ughfuckingbiotypical]

Paraguana peninsula Biotope

Target Species: Green Bottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens)

Location: Paraguana peninsula, Northern Venezuela, South America

Habitat Type: Desert

I know this blog's been quiet, since I started it, but I'm finally back with my first biotope summary and its even one I've recently built! It was finally time for me to upgrade my Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens Vlad into her adult enclosure.

This is not a care guide, if you are looking for information on care for this species there are sources at the bottom of this post written by tarantula keepers much more experienced than me. I used many of them when I was originally deciding if this was a species I would like to keep.

The target species of this enclosure is a docile species of new world tarantula. They boast dark blue and rusty orange coloration, and once settled into an enclosure, are typically outgoing enough for you to see and enjoy them. They are a burrowing species that will build a thick web around the entrance, so providing plenty of substrate and structure to anchor to is key. They also don't require conditions that are terribly difficult to maintain. Unfortunately they are classified as critically endangered in the wild, potentially making the captive bred population of this species an important resource.

Original Photos: young specimen with juvenile coloration, 21 Mar. 2023 (Left). Vlad almost fully transitioned to the adult coloration, 14 Feb. 2024 (Right).

The setup I built is very simple. The only animals are the target species and cleanup crew (isopods, not habitat accurate). All foliage is artificial, as I didn't want to potentially stress her with a grow light to maintain plants that she will likely web over anyway (the LED above her cage will only be turned on for viewing). So this outline will have much less specific information on the flora and fauna that occur in this habitat outside of the target species than future outlines will.

I had some trouble finding photos I was sure were habitat from Paraguana that weren't wide shots, let alone photos of C. cyaneopubescens in its natural environment, but based on photos like this one:

Cerro Santa Ana, Paraguaná Peninsula, Venezuela - by Jujovar2010.

And a couple of short descriptions, this habitat seems to be characterized by dense shrubs and barrel cacti. The deserts of this region are also characterized by sand dunes, but C. cyaneopubescens reportedly (and in my experience) likes to anchor their webs around plants. So It is unlikely one would willingly spend much of its time out on open sand dunes.

Desert on the Way to Paraguaná- by R, Frank Morales, 12 Oct. 2009. Flickr

With that information, my observations on Vlad's habits, and the materials available, this is the setup I've put together.

Original Photo, 9 Sept. 2024.

I kept things simple, as this is one of my smaller terrariums inhabited by an animal, and much of it will eventually be covered by webbing as well. I included branches of various sizes to simulate the underbrush and a hollow piece of cholla wood mounted in a vertical position. The cholla wood is not a biotypically accurate variety of cactus, but it provides a convenient naturalistic hide for the tarantula. I also chose faux grass that would mimic the look of dormant desert grass. I may make some adjustments when I get the chance, specifically replacing the current water bowl with one that fits into the scape better.

Bonus cryptid spotting:

Original Photo, 12 Sept. 2024.

Image Descriptions in Alt

Sources under cut

David, Zach. “Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens 101: Care, Enclosure, Temperament & More.” Beyond The Treat, 22 Aug. 2019, https://beyondthetreat.com/chromatopelma-cyaneopubescens/.

“Green Bottle Blue Tarantula Care.” The Tarantula Collective, https://www.thetarantulacollective.com/caresheets/chromatopelma-cyaneopubescens. Accessed 23 July 2024.

Greenbottle Blue Care Sheet | Tarantula Husbandry | TARANTULAS.Com. http://tarantulas.com/caresheets/C_cyaneopubescens.html. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

“Greenbottle Blue Tarantula.” Wikipedia, 25 Feb. 2024. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greenbottle_blue_tarantula&oldid=1210157315.

Greenbottle Blue Tarantula: GBB Care, Facts & Species - More Reptiles. https://www.morereptiles.com/greenbottle-blue-tarantula/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

Klich, Szymon. “Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens: Green Bottle Blue Tarantula.” Spiders World, 18 Dec. 2023, https://spiderswrld.com/chromatopelma-cyaneopubescens-description/.

Paraguaná & Médanos de Coro: Where Desert Meets the Caribbean | LAC Geo. https://lacgeo.com/paraguana-peninsula-medanos-coro. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

Paraguaná Peninsula | Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Venezuela, Araya Peninsula | Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Paraguana-Peninsula. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

R, Frank Morales. Desert on the Way to Paraguaná. photo, 12 Oct. 2009. Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/frankmorales/4006822182/.

Will. Green Bottle Blue Tarantula Care Guide and FAQs. 22 June 2022, https://thespiderblog.com/green-bottle-blue-tarantula-care-guide-and-faqs/.

big shout out to the Zotero extension for making compiling the sources for this thing I do in my free time MUCH easier

[bonefarm]

Other new friend!!!!

[shellsgrave]

hey hi can i see some of ur tarantulas :3

any time! (:

[scrambled-meat]

oh also

LOOK HOW BIG AND BLUE SHE'S GETTING!!!!

[smallhatlogan]

I love when they go on tiptoes to eat

[nastymongrel]

it took 20 minutes and a lot of hair kicking but at least she is in the new enclosure

[plasmafrag]

It's important to bond with your pets

[shrinking-but-shining]

Hey there Lovelies,

So my big girl shed last night. I'm not sure if she's well, because it seems a part is still stuck, but it might just be where she's sitting. I'm gonna leave her alone to rest for a while and check for it tomorrow... Wish me luck. I also finished my steps and stuff early again. Just had a small pear as an afternoon snack and will try to clean some stuff that I always want to clean and then don't 😅