Purple Tarantula (Avicularia Purpurea)

The Purple Tree Tarantula (Avicularia purpurea), also known as Ecuadorian purple tarantula or purple-pink toe tarantula, belongs to the family of Theraphosidae (tarantulas). It is arboreal by nature and often found in tree cracks and crevices.

Purple Tarantula Spider Facts

Size	13 cm in length
Color	Purple, dark blue in Daylght
Diet	crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, waxworms, and darkling beetles
Lifespan	12 Years for females, 4 years for females
Distribution	Found in Ecuador in the Amazon region

Physical appearance and identification traits

1. Size

Purple tarantula spiders can grow to a length of about 13 cm

2. Color

During the daylight, purple tarantula spider appear dark purple-blue. Their abdomen is velvet-black in color and is covered with urticating hairs.

3. Web

Purple Tarantula Spider doesn’t use web to catch its prey. But, it does spin web use web for egg sac.

4. Eggs

The female purple tarantula spiders lay up to 120 eggs in a cocoon. Within six to eight weeks the eggs hatch and between 50 to 120 nymphs are born.

Lifespan

Female purple tarantula spider live up to 12 years, whereas male spiders have a short life span and live up to 4 years.

Habitat

 Purple tarantula spiders are found mostly in the hollow trees, in agricultural areas with grazing cattle, and also been found on the walls of the building.

Preys and Predators

Purple tarantula spider prey on crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, waxworms, and darkling beetles; sometimes, they even catch small rodents, lizards, and birds. At the same time, these spiders are mostly eaten by reptiles and birds.

Distribution

Purple tarantula species are mainly present in Ecuador in the Amazon region.

Are Purple tarantula Species Poisonous?

Purple tarantula spiders are not poisonous in nature, except that their bites might give symptoms such as redness, local rash, or mild swelling.