Caribena versicolor spiderling • 1/2 – 5/8″ (Martinique or Antilles pink toe)

Description

An undisputed hobby favorite, Caribena versicolor is endemic to the island of Martinique, one in the chain of islands forming the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

The northern half of Martinique supports lush tropical rainforest and is home to C. versicolor. The southern half is drier and has different terrain. It supports another hobby species, Acanthoscurria antillensis.

Through its lifetime C. versicolor has two color patterns. Spiderlings are shades of blue and have striped abdomens. As they mature they lose striping and acquire adult color. Both color patterns are something to see.

When kept properly, C. versicolor‘s appetite always seems to be good. Spiderlings however require more attention than juveniles or adults. Requirements for raising them are narrower. A fair number don’t make it to adulthood.

We recommend keeping C. versicolor spiderlings in vertically oriented enclosures with vertically placed cork bark or wood. We typically use polystyrene containers with a volume of 100 to 200 mL. Room temperature (68-72F) is fine. As always, warmer temperatures promote appetite and growth rate, at the risk of faster drying.

The most important point to make about raising C. versicolor spiderlings regards enclosure moisture. It’s here where most failures occur. We begin with the statement that for any spiderling tarantula there is no need to keep enclosure air saturated or nearly so (95-100% RH). It’s true however that many terrestrial spiderlings can handle air saturated with water. The true New World arboreal spiderling however, seems to do better with enclosure air kept safely away from the dew point, that is, away from the point where water condenses, which it will otherwise do with normal drops in temperature (such as at night). We prefer 75-85% RH +/- 5% RH in a room where day/night temperature swings are not that great. When repeated cycles of condensation occur, wetness and biofilm prevail. The enclosure becomes toxic to the inhabitant, especially for New World arboreal spiderlings.

Some hobbyists, fearful of what they call stagnant air (without defining it), go even further, so far as to use bone dry substrate, daily misting (perhaps for sips of water more than sustained humidity), and an abundance of holes along the top and sides. The arboreal spiderling is kept on a knife-edge of hydration/dehydration, but the method does work.

We’ll outline our approach to raising true New World arboreal spiderlings in an upcoming Knowledge Base article.

Photos: 1-adult female (ArachnoEden), 2,3-spiderling stock image, 4-stock image, 5-egg sac (ArachnoEden)

Care highlights:

• slightly dry substrate + water dish or other humidity source
• room temperature (68-72F) up to 80F
• elevated humidity (80-90% RH) for rooms with stable temperature
• vertical structure for climbing and webbing