My son wants to know about dwarf tarantula's

[Dustynn89]

We have had Hapalopus sp. Columbia before and loved him!! Which lead him to ask about more. I couldn't seem to find too many and was told there really aren't many in the hobby. I also heard about a dwarf Avic. Would some one be kind enough to help me learn of more so that I can relay them on to him, as well as look up any photos I may find of them?

 

[Venom1080]

cyriocosmus are gorgeous dwarfs. Dolichothele are another. the dwarf avic youre talking about is prob A. minatrix, heard they stay pretty small. a dwarf tarantula is a T in which a AF maxes out at under 3". babys are extremely tiny. ive seen 1/16" for sale from some dwarfs. pretty much all i know. maybe @LittleT will have more info..

 

[MrsHaas]

There are some awesome dwarfs! I particularly love the cyriocosmus genus. H incei is also awesome!! The little guys tend to have some bad ass feeding responses too... Love it!

 

[Dustynn89]

The one we had was a beast at feeding time!

 

[Storm76]

The dwarf Avic would be Avicularia minatrix. A word of warning though: These are extremely shy and reclusive spiders that are seldomly out. The most one sees of them, is their legs sticking out of their webbing. They're also the one Avic species I'd rate somewhat delicate as they show pretty quick bad responses to stuffy air and aren't forgiving in that department.

I'd recommend Euathlus sp. "red" / "yellow" above all else for curiosity, calmness and overall great disposition. They do grow extremely slow, however.

 

[LittleT]

You've been given some great advice already!

There are lots of smaller tarantula species available, however I'm not sure about the availability outside of Europe. Spiderlings are tiny, less than 0.5cm leg span in some cases... I think it's normal however after reading how many people on here think they are absolutely tiny I just thought it deserved a mention. They are generally great eaters with the right sized prey but are also great scavengers on pre-killed prey.

Euathlus sp. 'Red'/'Fire' and Euathlus sp. 'Yellow', both are also sold as Homoeomma sp. 'Red/Fire' and 'Yellow' here in Europe too. They are both small species, generally really docile too although spiderlings can be skittish but they are incredibly slow growing. My spiderlings are 4 years old and only after their most recent moult, they have began to show a tiny amount of adult colouration! Well worth the wait if you have the patience, if not then keep an eye out for sub-adults or even adults.

I also keep Euathlus parvulus and Euathlus sp. 'smaragd' they grow a little larger than the above species but have beautiful colours and the docile temperament.
All four species are generally pretty visible though but they can be shy eaters, mine do take down appropriate sized prey but I have never seen them actually do it and sometimes the spiderlings do prefer pre-killed prey.
Other Euathlus species, Paraphysa and Phrixotrichus species can also be similar but some species do grow larger than others.

Perhaps the most well known dwarf genus Cyriocosmus. I keep bertae, chicoi, elegans, leetzi, perezmilesi, peruvianus (sp. 'Rio Nanay'), ritae, sellatus and venezeulensis. Quick growers, beautiful colours even as slings, great eaters although can be a little skittish, especially as slings.
elegans are the smallest and I hardly ever see mine, the only reason I know they are still alive is because food still keeps disappearing and if I'm lucky I might find a discarded moult!
chicoi, perezmilesi and ritae are generally more visible, perezmilesi are great little webbers.
bertae, leetzi and venezeulensis are somewhere in between.
peruvianus and sellatus are generally the more... I don't really want to say defensive, maybe highly strung? of the genus in my experience, both have given me odd threat display but never attempted to bite, maybe they just don't like me They aren't as defensive as other notoriously highly strung NW species though but thought it was worth a mention.

If you like Cyriocosmus bertae then Kochiana brunnipes might be another one to look into, again quick growers, great eaters and similar in appearance to C. bertae but I find K. brunnipes to be more visible, still a great species in their own right to keep.

Catumiri argentinense and Catumiri parvum they are both a dwarf species, can be skittish but great eaters and they like to burrow/web. I love them.

Hapalopus sp. 'Colombia' there is a small and large form so I'm not sure which you are familiar with but there is also Hapalopus triseriatus and they are pretty similar with regards to temperament.

Trichopelma sp. 'Colombia' They are gorgeous! They do remind me of Hapalopus species, a great species to keep.

Neoholothele incei and I'm not sure how available they are in the US but Neoholothele fasciaaurinigra, both can be quick but great eaters and I love the colours as slings and adults. Great webbers too!

Dolichothele bolivianum and Dolichothele diamantinensis, great eaters, quick growers, great webbers but can be fast and skittish. Dolichothele diamantinensis are a really stunning little species! Often called a mini GBB.

Heterothele gabonensis and Heterothele villosella I find are similar although quick, great eaters and great webbers but they are both Old World species so unless you are experienced then I would stick too Neoholothele or Dolichothele species because they are more colourful.
There are a couple of other small OW species that I keep Idiothele mira, practically a tub of dirt but I love the trap door behaviour and Orphnaecus sp. 'Cebu' small however there is also another species sold as Orphnaecus sp. 'Cebu' but grow much larger!

Back to the New worlds, Theraphosinae sp. II Costa Rica also sold as Lasiodora puriscal and Metriopelma puriscal. There is also Theraphosinae sp. III Costa Rica again also sold as Lasiodora brevibulba and Metriopelma brevibulbus both are another small species that I like although burrowers and slow growers. Also they can be sold as Crypsidromus too.

Ami sp. 'Chica', Ami sp. 'Panama' and Ami (Theraphosinae?) sp. 'Yucatan' again are a smaller species and have some beautiful colours, especially as adults but they are very shy in my experience.

Theraphosinae sp. 'Panama' is an absolutely stunning small species! But generally another quite shy species in my experience so you'll rarely see them.

Theraphosinae sp. 'Villa Tunari' Bolivia, another small species that I really like, not very colourful but more visible.

I also thought I'd mention Neostenotarsus sp. 'French Guiana' and Neostenotarsus sp. 'Suriname' Personally I think both species have great colours especially Neostenotarsus sp. 'Suriname' but are generally another shy species.

There are other small species such as Cyclosternum species, I currently only own Cyclosternum sp. 'Cundinamarca' and they have burrowed, great eaters though but they can be quick.

Citharacanthus cyaneus I only have spiderlings of this species but they look amazing as adults! This species seems to 'play dead', would love to hear of anyone else's experiences with this species? If disturbed mine curl up and just don't look right but after a gentle brush with a paint brush they take off running and seem absolutely fine.

Plesiopelma sp. 'Bolivia' and Plesiopelma longisternale I currently only have Plesiopelma. sp. 'Bolivia' slings and they are rather skittish but good eaters.

Pseudhapalopus sp. 'Blue' again I just have spiderlings, awesome little things, good eaters, skittish and a little shy but I can't wait to see the adult colours come through. I believe they are slow growers though.

Holothele sanguiniceps and Holothele sericea, both are quick and skittish but great eaters!

Avicularia minatrix again another species that I just have spiderlings of, mine took a while to settle and still haven't webbed up that much compared to my others but they happily scavenge and also hunt down prey really well. My spiderlings eat well and have all moulted so I take that as a sign I'm doing something right. If you are interested in Avicularia another species is Avicularia diversipes and I've found they settle far more quickly, they have webbed plenty, they are more visible too and take down prey really well. They are larger than A. minatrix but still a smaller Avic species. Both are quick and will happily jump. I have also found my Avicularia slings love dried leaves to anchor webbing too, as well as a sturdy piece of cork bark.

If you like your Hapalopus species then I'd recommend Cyriocosmus, Dolichothele and Neoholothele species, also Kochiana brunnipes because they are generally similar especially with regards to eating and taking down prey.

Other small/dwarf species available but I don't currently keep the following species yet, they are on my wish list and I'm either looking for them or I don't think I have the experience for them just yet.
New World
Euthycaelus colonicus
Bonnetina species
Ischnocolinae species
Various 'Theraphosinae' species

You also have dwarf Aphonopelma species, paloma, hualapai, joshua, mojave and burica/crinirufum? I don't think they are all available in Europe sadly? Although I have seen Aphonopelma crinirufum but they are quite rare. Maybe one day I'll own a little Aphonopelma species, well a girl can dream!

Old World
Eucratoscelus pachypus
Selenocosmia kovariki
Sahydroaraneus raja
Phlogiellus species
Plesiophrictus species
I believe some Harpactira and Harpactirella species are small too?

There are probably many more dwarf and small tarantula species available too.

Edit - I expanded on my post a little more, hopefully people will find it helpful

 

[Andrea82]

I've seen Ami sp via the Dutch forumgroup, definitely one I am looking into, beautiful spiders! They're a bit expensive though (for European standards), and haven't found a Dutch breeder that sells older specimens, only slings.

 

[Trenor]

You've been given some great advice already!

There are lots of smaller tarantula species available, however I'm not sure about the availability outside of Europe. Spiderlings are tiny, less than 0.5cm leg span in some cases... I think it's normal however after reading how many people on here think they are absolutely tiny I just thought it deserved a mention. They are generally great eaters with the right sized prey but are also great scavengers on pre-killed prey.

Euathlus sp. 'Red'/'Fire' and Euathlus sp. 'Yellow', both are also sold as Homoeomma sp. 'Red/Fire' and 'Yellow' here in Europe too. They are both small species, generally really docile too although spiderlings can be skittish but they are incredibly slow growing. My spiderlings are 4 years old and only after their most recent moult, they have began to show a tiny amount of adult colouration! Well worth the wait if you have the patience, if not then keep an eye out for sub-adults or even adults.

I also keep Euathlus parvulus and Euathlus sp. 'smaragd' they grow a little larger than the above species but have beautiful colours and the docile temperament.
All four species are generally pretty visible though but they can be shy eaters, mine do take down appropriate sized prey but I have never seen them actually do it and sometimes the spiderlings do prefer pre-killed prey.
Paraphysa species are also similar.

Perhaps the most well known dwarf genus Cyriocosmus. I keep bertae, chicoi, elegans, leetzi, perezmilesi, peruvianus (sp. 'Rio Nanay'), ritae, sellatus and venezeulensis. Quick growers, beautiful colours even as slings, great eaters although can be a little skittish, especially as slings.
elegans are the smallest and I hardly ever see mine, the only reason I know they are still alive is because food still keeps disappearing and if I'm lucky I might find a discarded moult!
chicoi, perezmilesi and ritae are generally more visible, perezmilesi are great little webbers.
bertae, leetzi and venezeulensis are somewhere in between.
peruvianus and sellatus are generally the more... I don't really want to say defensive, maybe highly strung? of the genus in my experience, both have given me odd threat display but never attempted to bite, maybe they just don't like me They aren't as defensive as other notoriously highly strung NW species though but thought it was worth a mention.

If you like Cyriocosmus bertae then Kochiana brunnipes might be another one to look into, again quick growers, great eaters and similar in appearance to C. bertae but I find K. brunnipes to be more visible.

Hapalopus sp. 'Colombia' there is a small and large form so I'm not sure which you are familiar with but there is also Hapalopus triseriatus and they are pretty similar with regards to temperament.

Neoholothele incei and I'm not sure how available they are in the US but Neoholothele fasciaaurinigra, both can be quick but great eaters and I love the colours as slings and adults. Great webbers too!

Dolichothele bolivianum and Dolichothele diamantinensis, great eaters, quick growers, great webbers but can be fast and skittish. Dolichothele diamantinensis are a really stunning little species! Often called a mini GBB.

Heterothele gabonensis and Heterothele villosella I find are similar although quick, great eaters and great webbers but they are both Old World species so unless you are experienced then I would stick too Neoholothele or Dolichothele species because they are more colourful.
There are a couple of other small OW species that I keep Idiothele mira, practically a tub of dirt but I love the trap door behaviour and Orphnaecus sp. 'Cebu' small however there is also another species sold as Orphnaecus sp. 'Cebu' but grow much larger!

Back to the New worlds, Theraphosinae sp. II Costa Rica also sold as Lasiodora puriscal and Metriopelma puriscal. There is also Theraphosinae sp. III Costa Rica again also sold as Lasiodora brevibulba and Metriopelma brevibulbus both are another small species that I like although burrowers and slow growers.

Ami sp. 'Chica', Ami sp. 'Panama' and Ami (Theraphosinae?) sp. 'Yucatan' again are a smaller species and have some beautiful colours, especially as adults but they are very shy in my experience.

Theraphosinae sp. 'Panama' is an absolutely stunning small species! But generally another quite shy species in my experience so you'll rarely see them.

Theraphosinae sp. 'Villa Tunari' Bolivia, another small species that I really like, not very colourful but more visible.

I also thought I'd mention Neostenotarsus sp. 'French Guiana' and Neostenotarsus sp. 'Suriname' Personally I think both species have great colours especially Neostenotarsus sp. 'Suriname' but are generally another shy species.

There are other small species such as Cyclosternum species, Citharacanthus cyaneus, Plesiopelma sp. 'Bolivia', Plesiopelma longisternale, Pseudhapalopus sp. 'Blue', Holothele sanguiniceps, Holothele sericea... and I also keep Avicularia minatrix as well as a couple of other Avicularia species but I think I've rambled enough

If you like your Hapalopus species then I'd recommend Cyriocosmus, Dolichothele and Neoholothele species, also Kochiana brunnipes because they are generally similar especially with regards to eating and taking down prey.

Ok, I bookmarked your post. That's a great breakdown of dwarf tarantulas and I see I need to make some modifications to the list. Great job.

 

[Nomar]

You've been given some great advice already!

There are lots of smaller tarantula species available, however I'm not sure about the availability outside of Europe. Spiderlings are tiny, less than 0.5cm leg span in some cases... I think it's normal however after reading how many people on here think they are absolutely tiny I just thought it deserved a mention. They are generally great eaters with the right sized prey but are also great scavengers on pre-killed prey.

Euathlus sp. 'Red'/'Fire' and Euathlus sp. 'Yellow', both are also sold as Homoeomma sp. 'Red/Fire' and 'Yellow' here in Europe too. They are both small species, generally really docile too although spiderlings can be skittish but they are incredibly slow growing. My spiderlings are 4 years old and only after their most recent moult, they have began to show a tiny amount of adult colouration! Well worth the wait if you have the patience, if not then keep an eye out for sub-adults or even adults.

I also keep Euathlus parvulus and Euathlus sp. 'smaragd' they grow a little larger than the above species but have beautiful colours and the docile temperament.
All four species are generally pretty visible though but they can be shy eaters, mine do take down appropriate sized prey but I have never seen them actually do it and sometimes the spiderlings do prefer pre-killed prey.
Other Euathlus species, Paraphysa and Phrixotrichus species can also be similar but some species do grow larger than others.

Perhaps the most well known dwarf genus Cyriocosmus. I keep bertae, chicoi, elegans, leetzi, perezmilesi, peruvianus (sp. 'Rio Nanay'), ritae, sellatus and venezeulensis. Quick growers, beautiful colours even as slings, great eaters although can be a little skittish, especially as slings.
elegans are the smallest and I hardly ever see mine, the only reason I know they are still alive is because food still keeps disappearing and if I'm lucky I might find a discarded moult!
chicoi, perezmilesi and ritae are generally more visible, perezmilesi are great little webbers.
bertae, leetzi and venezeulensis are somewhere in between.
peruvianus and sellatus are generally the more... I don't really want to say defensive, maybe highly strung? of the genus in my experience, both have given me odd threat display but never attempted to bite, maybe they just don't like me They aren't as defensive as other notoriously highly strung NW species though but thought it was worth a mention.

If you like Cyriocosmus bertae then Kochiana brunnipes might be another one to look into, again quick growers, great eaters and similar in appearance to C. bertae but I find K. brunnipes to be more visible, still a great species in their own right to keep.

Catumiri argentinense and Catumiri parvum they are both a dwarf species, can be skittish but great eaters and they like to burrow/web. I love them.

Hapalopus sp. 'Colombia' there is a small and large form so I'm not sure which you are familiar with but there is also Hapalopus triseriatus and they are pretty similar with regards to temperament.

Trichopelma sp. 'Colombia' They are gorgeous! They do remind me of Hapalopus species, a great species to keep.

Neoholothele incei and I'm not sure how available they are in the US but Neoholothele fasciaaurinigra, both can be quick but great eaters and I love the colours as slings and adults. Great webbers too!

Dolichothele bolivianum and Dolichothele diamantinensis, great eaters, quick growers, great webbers but can be fast and skittish. Dolichothele diamantinensis are a really stunning little species! Often called a mini GBB.

Heterothele gabonensis and Heterothele villosella I find are similar although quick, great eaters and great webbers but they are both Old World species so unless you are experienced then I would stick too Neoholothele or Dolichothele species because they are more colourful.
There are a couple of other small OW species that I keep Idiothele mira, practically a tub of dirt but I love the trap door behaviour and Orphnaecus sp. 'Cebu' small however there is also another species sold as Orphnaecus sp. 'Cebu' but grow much larger!

Back to the New worlds, Theraphosinae sp. II Costa Rica also sold as Lasiodora puriscal and Metriopelma puriscal. There is also Theraphosinae sp. III Costa Rica again also sold as Lasiodora brevibulba and Metriopelma brevibulbus both are another small species that I like although burrowers and slow growers. Also they can be sold as Crypsidromus too.

Ami sp. 'Chica', Ami sp. 'Panama' and Ami (Theraphosinae?) sp. 'Yucatan' again are a smaller species and have some beautiful colours, especially as adults but they are very shy in my experience.

Theraphosinae sp. 'Panama' is an absolutely stunning small species! But generally another quite shy species in my experience so you'll rarely see them.

Theraphosinae sp. 'Villa Tunari' Bolivia, another small species that I really like, not very colourful but more visible.

I also thought I'd mention Neostenotarsus sp. 'French Guiana' and Neostenotarsus sp. 'Suriname' Personally I think both species have great colours especially Neostenotarsus sp. 'Suriname' but are generally another shy species.

There are other small species such as Cyclosternum species, I currently only own Cyclosternum sp. 'Cundinamarca' and they have burrowed, great eaters though but they can be quick.

Citharacanthus cyaneus I only have spiderlings of this species but they look amazing as adults! This species seems to 'play dead', would love to hear of anyone else's experiences with this species? If disturbed mine curl up and just don't look right but after a gentle brush with a paint brush they take off running and seem absolutely fine.

Plesiopelma sp. 'Bolivia' and Plesiopelma longisternale I currently only have Plesiopelma. sp. 'Bolivia' slings and they are rather skittish but good eaters.

Pseudhapalopus sp. 'Blue' again I just have spiderlings, awesome little things, good eaters, skittish and a little shy but I can't wait to see the adult colours come through. I believe they are slow growers though.

Holothele sanguiniceps and Holothele sericea, both are quick and skittish but great eaters!

Avicularia minatrix again another species that I just have spiderlings of, mine took a while to settle and still haven't webbed up that much compared to my others but they happily scavenge and also hunt down prey really well. My spiderlings eat well and have all moulted so I take that as a sign I'm doing something right. If you are interested in Avicularia another species is Avicularia diversipes and I've found they settle far more quickly, they have webbed plenty, they are more visible too and take down prey really well. They are larger than A. minatrix but still a smaller Avic species. Both are quick and will happily jump. I have also found my Avicularia slings love dried leaves to anchor webbing too, as well as a sturdy piece of cork bark.

If you like your Hapalopus species then I'd recommend Cyriocosmus, Dolichothele and Neoholothele species, also Kochiana brunnipes because they are generally similar especially with regards to eating and taking down prey.

Other small/dwarf species available but I don't currently keep the following species yet, they are on my wish list and I'm either looking for them or I don't think I have the experience for them just yet.
New World
Euthycaelus colonicus
Bonnetina species
Ischnocolinae species
Various 'Theraphosinae' species

You also have dwarf Aphonopelma species, paloma, hualapai, joshua, mojave and burica/crinirufum? I don't think they are all available in Europe sadly? Although I have seen Aphonopelma crinirufum but they are quite rare. Maybe one day I'll own a little Aphonopelma species, well a girl can dream!

Old World
Eucratoscelus pachypus
Selenocosmia kovariki
Sahydroaraneus raja
Phlogiellus species
Plesiophrictus species
I believe some Harpactira and Harpactirella species are small too?

There are probably many more dwarf and small tarantula species available too.

Edit - I expanded on my post a little more, hopefully people will find it helpful

hello sir can I ask more information about lasiodora brevibulba?

 

[antinous]

hello sir can I ask more information about lasiodora brevibulba?

Don’t really know much about it myself so I don’t want to give the wrong info, but since this is an old thread I’d suggest making a new one to draw attention to it.

 

[Nomar]

Don’t really know much about it myself so I don’t want to give the wrong info, but since this is an old thread I’d suggest making a new one to draw attention to it.

ok sir thanks