Dolichothele diamantinensis (Brazilian Blue Dwarf Beauty) 0.5"

photo cred: Jessica Tietz at Marshall Arachnids

If you love the Greenbottle Blue Tarantula, you need at least one Brazilian Blue Dwarf Beauty Tarantula, Dolichothele diamantinensis (Bertani, Santos & Righi) in your life. These obscenely beautiful dwarf tarantulas top out at 3” diagonal leg span, but develop even more vibrant colors than the more famous Greenbottle Blue. Think metallic red, orange, turquoise, green, and royal blue structural colors all on the same spider. It’s as if planet Earth channeled its entire color pallet into this cute little spider’s pelt. Also, this is one of the few New World tarantulas that lacks urticating hairs! D. diamantinensis comes from sun-blasted, windy, rocky savannas of southeast Brazil, occupying a habitat somewhat reminiscent of the greenbottle blue, which should give clues as to its care.

This species can be raised similarly to the Greenbottle Blue, but bear in mind that they start out tiny [⅛” or 0.3cm legspan!]. D. diamantinensis grows quickly and is an opportunistic burrower that thrives in dry conditions. The tiny spiderlings should be maintained in slightly moist substrate in well-ventilated vials. Larger juveniles and mature specimens are easily maintained in a well-ventilated vertical or terrestrial enclosure with plenty of substrate (dry, airy cactus mix or wood-pulp containing garden soil mixes amended with perlite or pumice). Provide cork hides and or branches and dead leaves for D. diamantinensis to incorporate as anchor points in its copious webbing. Being dry scrub dwellers with sparse opportunities in the wild to snag a meal, this species has a strong feeding response and actively pursues prey. Keep their substrate dry, provide a water bowl for larger specimens, and only occasionally mist a corner of the cage and these gems will do well. If you want a tough, pocket-sized New World tarantula with amazing colors and no urticating hairs, the Brazilian Blue Dwarf Beauty is a must!

References

Bertani, R., Santos, T. and Righi, A.F., 2009. A new species of Oligoxystre Vellard 1924 (Araneae, Theraphosidae) from Brazil. ZooKeys 5: 41–51.

https://www.thetarantulacollective.com/caresheets/dolichothele-diamantinensis