Arboreal tarantula size chart

[jbm150]

Seeing all of these 'largest', 'reddest', 'etc' tarantula threads and having had little sleep in the past few days, I thought it would be fun to research and put together a listing of arboreal T sizes. I was surprised at some of the sizes I found, some were bigger and smaller than I imagined. Here's what my question was:

If I were to buy an arboreal tarantula of a given species, what would be the expected largest size a female could get, provided she lived a long, healthy life? For instance, if I buy a P. rufilata, I know she will reach a long leg span but I can't really expect her to reach 10". Or can I? I remember one person saying they knew someone with an 8" H. mac. But that has to be an exceptional individual, I'm sure. Here's a listing of what I came up with for species in the hobby; maybe you can help me fill in gaps and correct my inaccuracies:

4"
A. minatrix

4.5"
I. hirsutum
T. plumipes

5"
A. avicularia
A. azuraklaasi
A. geroldi
A. purpurea (might be 6"?)
E. olivacea (these are arboreal, right?)
T. gigas

5.5"
A. urticans

6"
A. aurantiaca
A. huriana
A. versicolor
P. irminia
S. calceatum

6.5"
H. maculata
L. nigerrimum (thats it? thought bigger. From asianarboreals.com)
P. formosa

7"
A. bicegoi
A. braunshauseni
A. metallica
P. metallica
P. pederseni
P. subfusca (highland/lowland difference?)
P. cambridgei

7.5"
P. miranda

8"
L. sp. Borneo black
P. everetti
P. fasciata
P. regalis
P. striata

8.5"
C. schioedtei
C. sp. Sumatran tiger

9"
P. ornata
P. rufilata

9.5"
C. sp. Sulawesi black (gray)
L. violaceopes

Also, these are species I haven't found sizes for yet:
A. diversipes
A. fasciculata
A. laeta
A. sp. Peru purple
P. smithi
P. tigrinawesseli
P. pulcher
P. reduncus
T. cupreus
T. latipes
T. subcaeruleus
T. violaceus

If you know any other "normally-recognized-as-arboreal" tarantulas, list them too. If I have species down that have been renamed or what have you, let me know that too. If this is successful and other people find this interesting, I may do something similar for terrestrial, fossorial, and semi-arboreals as well

[Drachenjager]

my p. ornata last molt was over 9" and now looks to be in the 10" range. Ryan had one that was 12.

[codykrr]

E. olivicea are capable of 6 to 7 inch sizes according to my readings.

also my dream T...

[Falk]

That list in inacurrate, those sizes can vary very much.

[gumby]

A. diversipes and A. fasciculata are the same now going under the name A. diversipes. If im correct there is an actual A. fasciculata but its not in the hobby. The A. diversipes stay on the smaller side from what I understand maxing out around 4.5".

A. laeta not surebut at least 5"
A. sp. Peru purple up to 6" from what I hear

Also I think the largest L. violaceopes gets is around 7.5" do you have pics next to a ruler of one that is 9.5" id love to see them if you do.

[Terry D]

That list in inacurrate, those sizes can vary very much.
Ex. my Avicularia versicolor is almost 6"

How was that out of line with the man's chart?

[Falk]

How was that out of line with the man's chart?

It was not, my mistake

[matthias]

I have several A. bicegoi that has molted multiple times and not have gained more than fractional amounts and they are at best 4.5"

A. diversipes and A. fasciculata are the same now going under the name A. diversipes. If im correct there is an actual A. fasciculata but its not in the hobby. The A. diversipes stay on the smaller side from what I understand maxing out around 4.5".

A. laeta not surebut at least 5"
A. sp. Peru purple up to 6" from what I hear

Also I think the largest L. violaceopes gets is around 7.5" do you have pics next to a ruler of one that is 9.5" id love to see them if you do.

I have a wild caught female that is a solid 9". You are welcome to come over and TRY to get her next to a ruler without dying at any time. But she is in a 10X10X18 tank and is about an inch shy of the opposite wall if she stretches.

[jbm150]

my p. ornata last molt was over 9" and now looks to be in the 10" range. Ryan had one that was 12.

12"! That is a monster! So, would you or anyone else say that 10" might be a better upper number (but not an outlier) than 9"?

E. olivicea are capable of 6 to 7 inch sizes according to my readings.

also my dream T...

Really? If thats true, it might just find its way on my must-have list as well! I was surprised they got to 5", I thought they were really small. Can anyone else comment on a possible 6" number?

That list in inacurrate, those sizes can vary very much.

It wouldn't surprise me at all. This is just a rough draft. I based my sizes on many different sources, some of which are suspect (caresheets ftw ). But thats why I'm hoping others can supply me with better numbers.

A. diversipes and A. fasciculata are the same now going under the name A. diversipes. If im correct there is an actual A. fasciculata but its not in the hobby. The A. diversipes stay on the smaller side from what I understand maxing out around 4.5".

A. laeta not surebut at least 5"
A. sp. Peru purple up to 6" from what I hear

Also I think the largest L. violaceopes gets is around 7.5" do you have pics next to a ruler of one that is 9.5" id love to see them if you do.

Thanks for the avic info, I'll update my spreadsheet. As for Lv, I've seen multiple instances of them having very large leg spans. I might have been a little generous at 9.5, perhaps 9 or 8.5 might be more accurate....

I have several A. bicegoi that has molted multiple times and not have gained more than fractional amounts and they are at best 4.5"

Hmm, I wish I had kept documentation of my sources; I can't be sure where I got that number. I didn't think it sounded quite right either, I thought bicegoi were fairly small as well. Anyone have thoughts?



Thanks so much guys, I appreciate the contributions. Keep 'em coming! One thing I might also take note of are the outliers, the special cases. Not only could one see how big a particular T can be expected to get, but also how big the species is capable of getting with good genetics, care, and a bit of luck.

[Merfolk]

From reputable breeder's account, A minatrix rarely gets over 3", but 4 might be possible. Like that 6' Pike I was trying to hook for decades...