Poecilotheria formosa (Salem Ornamental Tarantula)

Poecilotheria formosa (Salem Ornamental Tarantula)

The Salem Ornamental Tarantula, or Poecilotheria formosa, is a large arboreal tarantula from India, and one of the most purple animals in Poecilotheria, rivaled only by P. tigrinawesseli. Adults have an ivory base with orange setae scattered across the legs, body and abdomen, femurs with a white blush and a narrow dark purple patch, the rest of each leg banded in black and ivory with more bands than P. miranda, and a deep purple carapace (head) that runs clean without a white stripe down the middle. The underside runs plenty of white and black too, with black bands wrapping all the way around each leg for more banding than either miranda or the tiger ornamental, plus extra color that only shows when the animal rears into a defensive posture. It grows at a medium to fast pace and the purple only deepens with every molt. P. formosa reaches a max diagonal leg span of about 7 to 8 inches, and females live 12 to 15 years while males live 2 to 3. This is a fast and defensive species that would far rather bolt into its tube than stand its ground, which suits keepers who want the purple one. Grab one of the rarest old world arboreal tarantulas for sale today, offered here in many sizes.

Why do hobbyists keep the Salem Ornamental Tarantula?

• Stunning Coloration: Purple like nothing else in Poecilotheria, rivaled only by P. tigrinawesseli, with an ivory base, orange setae across the legs, body and abdomen, and black and ivory banded legs with more bands than P. miranda. Nothing else in the hobby looks quite like a grown formosa. That is the iconic pokie coloration Poecilotheria is known for, and there is nothing else like a grown formosa in the hobby.
• Large Arboreal Species: Poecilotheria is known for having some of the largest arboreal tarantulas in the hobby, and formosa does not disappoint. Adults reach seven to eight inches, impressive for a species that spends its whole life off the ground.
• Confident and Visible: Formosa hunts actively after dark, but with enough space it will not stay tucked away all day either. It tends to be stubborn and confident rather than skittish, which reads calmer than a lot of other Asian arboreals.
• Easy To Raise: Pokies start larger and eat better than a lot of the more timid arboreal species, giving real survivability, and formosa backs that up, hatching larger than most and feeding with real enthusiasm, even observed taking down small lizards and other vertebrate prey in the wild. Pokies also come from a region with a wet season and a dry season, so they tolerate real-world humidity swings better than their reputation suggests, and combined with how much less defensive and flighty Poecilotheria runs than other Asian arboreals, that makes formosa a strong pick for a first Asian arboreal, not only a species for once you already have experience with the group.
• A Collector's Pokie: One of the hardest Poecilotheria to source and breed, in part because Poecilotheria overall runs smaller egg sacs and longer gestation periods than a lot of other tarantulas, and this species sits toward the harder end even within that. This is the one serious old world keepers are still missing, not because it takes special skill, but because you rarely get the chance.

Which size should I choose?

• 2" Juvenile: past the delicate early stage with color already coming in, and still years of growth ahead.
• 3”+ Juvenile: past the delicate early stage with color already coming in, and still years of growth ahead.

Looking for similar species?

• Browse our Old World Tarantulas and Arboreal Tarantulas collections to explore related care profiles and species groupings.

Pick the size you want above. Each size still has its own care guidance and its own price behind it, so what you see for that size is exactly what ships.