Avicularia purpurea (Purple Pink Toe) 0.5"

The gorgeous Purple Pinktoe Tarantula, Avicularia purpurea (Kirk), is a must-have member of the subfamily Aviculariinae for anyone who appreciates colorful spiders. The species epithet “purpurea” refers to the incredibly metallic purple-blue hairs covering the carapace, legs and chelicerae of this tarantula. The spiderlings start out purple, fuzzy and “cactus-like,” but gain an increasingly metallic purple splendor with each molt. Technically, these are structural colors that refract light, rather than true pigments. While it is not known why many tarantulas have evolved such incredible structural colors, not all animal eyes can detect this brilliant display- so we are extra lucky to be able to appreciate this species. A. purpurea is a shy arboreal that builds its silk hammocks in tree hollows and cavities in Amazonian lowland rainforests of Ecuador. This species grows a bit more slowly than other Avicularia, reaches 4-5” (10-12.5cm) in leg span, and can be maintained similarly to othe