Davus pentaloris (Guatemalan Tiger Rump Tarantula)

Davus pentaloris (Guatemalan Tiger Rump Tarantula)

The Guatemalan Tiger Rump Tarantula, or Davus pentaloris, is a dwarf terrestrial tarantula native to Guatemala. Adults have black legs, a copper orange carapace (head), and an iconic tiger-striped abdomen, together making up one of the more recognized black and orange colorations in the hobby. Spiderlings already show color when they hatch, and that pattern grows bolder with every molt on the way to the full adult coloration that both males and females carry alike. This dwarf tarantula reaches a max diagonal leg span of about 3.5 to 4 inches, grows quickly for a tarantula, and females live about 10 years while males live 2 to 3 years. Like other Tropical Terrestrial Dwarfs, this species is a heavy webber that can be a little skittish, quicker to retreat into its web than stand its ground, though not an aggressive spider by nature. Grab this dwarf new world tarantula for sale today, offered here in many sizes, from spiderling to mature female.

Why do hobbyists keep Davus pentaloris?

• Black And Orange Coloration: Black legs lead into a copper orange carapace and an iconic tiger-striped abdomen, the same high-contrast black and orange pattern that makes this one of the most recognized colorations in the tarantula hobby.
• Drastic Color Change: Spiderlings already show color when they hatch, and that pattern grows bolder and more defined with every molt on the way to the full adult black and orange, so the change happens in front of you rather than arriving finished.
• Dwarf Species: A small to medium tarantula that tops out around 3.5 to 4 inches, easy to house and easy to work around without giving up any color or presence.
• Fast Growth Rate: This species puts on size quickly for a tarantula, so a keeper spends less time waiting and more time watching it grow into its full pattern.
• Heavy Webber: One of the heavier webbers we keep at this size, laying down webbing until the enclosure itself becomes part of the display.

How should the Guatemalan Tiger Rump Tarantula be kept?

• Adult Size: This species reaches an adult max of about 3.5 to 4 inches in diagonal leg span. Spiderlings start out around 0.5 to 0.75 inch, so there is plenty of growing left ahead of them. A stout bodied dwarf that keeps real visual presence at a size that stays easy to house.
• Enclosure: We size every terrestrial tarantula enclosure ahead of the animal rather than to its current size, sized in three stages toward this species' adult max, with enough substrate depth to web heavily and scrape out a shallow burrow. Cage 1 runs around 4 by 4 by 3 inches, cage 2 around 8 by 8 by 6 inches, and cage 3 around 12 by 12 by 8 inches at full adult size. Pick the size above for that tier's exact setup.
• Rehousing: Two rehouses total across this species' medium to fast growth rate, reaching full adult size in about 2 to 4 years, with each enclosure lasting roughly 8 to 12 months along the way. Males often mature before ever needing that third cage. Pick the size above to see where a given animal sits on that path. We use this same enclosure progression for our own grow-outs, which means less rehousing overall, both for you and for the animal.
• Temperature: Keep this species between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a tropical species, and keeping it at a cooler temperature raises the odds of a bad molt or a lack of appetite. We always recommend keeping all animals in their natural temperature ranges and conditions.
• Humidity: Never let the substrate dry out completely. This is a tropical species, and it is not very forgiving if things get too dry, so keep the substrate lightly moist at all times. Good ventilation is critical. Cross ventilation works best, but ample top ventilation can also be effective as long as the enclosure is not over-misted.
• Water: A shallow textured water dish works well, something they can grip when climbing out.
• Diet: Prey length should run about a quarter of the leg span, roughly the width of the carapace. Feed at least once a week at every stage. This species has a strong feeding response and grows steadily when kept consistently. Pick the size above for that tier's exact prey measurement.
• Temperament: Calm but skittish, and quick to retreat into its webbing when disturbed. This is not a species that stands its ground.

Which size should I choose?

Pick the size you want above. We make it easy to buy tarantulas at exactly the size and stage you're after, and like every one of our tarantulas for sale, each size here comes with its own care guidance and its own price behind it, so what you see for that size is exactly what ships.

• 0.5-0.75" Spiderling: right at the size this species hatches at, black and orange striping already showing.
• 0.75-1" Juvenile: past the spiderling stage, with the pattern growing bolder every molt.
• 1-1.25" Juvenile: still unsexed at this size, but a fast growing dwarf, so a confirmed sex is not far off.
• 1.5-2" Female Juvenile: molt-confirmed female with the black and orange filling in well, and the guesswork on sex already done. Among keepers looking for a long-term display animal, females are more sought after than males due to their longer lifespan, and on this species that means about 10 years against 2 to 3 for a male.
• 1.5-2" Male Juvenile: molt-confirmed male, showing the same striking black and orange pattern on a shorter timeline than a female.
• 2-2.5" Female Juvenile: molt-confirmed female with the black and orange near full adult intensity.
• 2.5" Mature Male: confirmed mature male at full adult coloration, at or near the size he stays for the rest of his life.
• 2.5-3" Mature Female: confirmed mature female at full adult coloration, the long-term display animal most keepers are after on this species.
• 3.5" Adult: unsexed within this species' adult size range, showing the complete black and orange coloration.
• 3.5" Mature Female: confirmed mature female at full adult size, the long-term display animal most keepers are after on this species.
• Female & Male Pair: a confirmed female and male shipped together as a settled pair rather than two unrelated individuals.
• 0.5" Spiderling (Free With Qualifying Purchase): the same hatch size spiderling, added free to a qualifying invertebrate order.
• 0.75-1" Juvenile (Free With Qualifying Purchase): the same past-spiderling juvenile, added free to a qualifying invertebrate order.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for the Guatemalan Tiger Rump Tarantula?

• Moisture Matters: Slightly moist substrate, never wet, holds humidity, drives the heavy webbing this species is known for, and keeps this tarantula out where you can see it rather than tucked away.
• Spiderling Care: Spiderlings (also called baby tarantulas or baby spiders) want steady moisture, and the formula is three things: keep the substrate consistently slightly damp, feed correctly sized prey every week, and leave it alone to web. Get those right from the start and the rest takes care of itself.
• A Species Once Split Many Ways: For years, hobbyists used the name Davus pentaloris as a catch-all for several different locality forms that all looked similar, before taxonomists began separating them out one at a time, generally by the country or region where each was found. What we sell here under Davus pentaloris is the population still carrying the original name, distinct from the other Davus locality forms, like our sp. 'Panama' and sp. 'Chiapas', that have since been split off with their own name.
• Captive Bred: All Tarantulas are 100% captive bred.