Ybyrapora sooretama (Harlequin Pinktoe Tarantula) 0.75-1"

The Harlequin Pinktoe Tarantula, or Ybyrapora sooretama, is an arboreal tarantula from Brazil. Adults settle into purple legs, a purple carapace (head), and a striking orange abdomen that keeps a black striping pattern through to adulthood. Spiderlings hatch out looking similar to a Purple Pink Toe, with a smoked gray and black look, then develop bright red chelicerae (fangs) as they grow into juveniles, before reaching their adult purple and orange coloration around 3 inches. The species only grows to about 4 to 5 inches in diagonal leg span, with a medium to fast growth rate. As with most pink toe tarantulas, expect females to live 10 to 15 years, while males typically live only 2 to 3. This species is also full of personality, more likely to hold its ground than dart for cover. Grab this docile new world tarantula for sale today, offered here as a well-started sling.

Why do hobbyists keep the Harlequin Pinktoe Tarantula?

• Purple and Orange Coloration: Purple legs, a purple carapace, and a bold orange abdomen with black striping give this species one of the more unusual color combinations in the whole genus.
• Drastic Color Change: This species changes dramatically at every life stage, hatching out with a smoked gray and black look similar to a Purple Pink Toe, developing bright red chelicerae as a juvenile, then settling into its purple and orange adult coloration around 3 inches, so you are really watching multiple different looks over its life.
• Heavy Webber: This species is a heavy webber and builds thick retreats in the upper part of the enclosure, giving it plenty of presence even when it is tucked away.
• Full of Personality: This species is stubborn and full of personality, more likely to hold its ground than dart for cover, which makes it a fun species to watch rather than a jumpy one.
• Rare in the Hobby: This is one of the rarest pink toe species in the hobby, so a keeper who lands one has something most other collections do not.

How should Ybyrapora sooretama be kept?

• Adult Size: Hatchlings start around 0.5 to 0.75 inch, and the species only grows to about 4 to 5 inches in diagonal leg span as an adult, so there is plenty of growing left ahead of it at every size we carry.
• Enclosure: A young Ybyrapora sooretama like this one does well in an enclosure around 4 by 4 by 5 inches, with cross ventilation and vertical cork bark, foliage, and multiple anchor points for webbing. At least 1.5 inches of substrate at every stage keeps humidity steady without turning the enclosure into a swamp.
• Setup Tips: Real cork bark or wood pieces make a big difference for this species. They help it settle in faster and give it natural climbing surfaces and webbing anchor points at every size, spiderling included.
• Rehousing: From here, plan on two more moves: an 8 by 8 by 10 inch enclosure, then a 10 by 10 by 16 inch enclosure as an adult. At this species' medium to fast growth rate, each enclosure typically lasts around 8 to 14 months, with full size reached in about 2 to 4 years.
• Temperature: 75 to 85°F, the optimal range for most tropical species like this one. Cooler temperatures are survivable, but increase the odds of trouble molting and growing, so we recommend staying in this range for the best results. Most keepers do not need any extra heating to hit it.
• Humidity: Never let the substrate dry out completely. This is a tropical species and it likes things a little wetter than most terrestrials, so keep it slightly damp and top it up before it goes dry rather than after.
• Water: Provide a shallow water dish placed in an elevated position if possible. This is more natural for arboreal species and helps prevent crickets from falling in and drowning. A weekly misting is suggested as well, so the animal can drink off the side of the enclosure or its own webbing if it prefers that to the dish, as long as you are wetting surfaces rather than soaking the substrate.
• Diet: A 3/16 to 1/4 inch cricket is the right size at this stage, offered at least once a week.
• Temperament: This species is stubborn and full of personality. It is more likely to hold its ground than bolt for cover, and it is not an aggressive animal, just less easygoing than some of the more traditional pink toes.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for Ybyrapora sooretama?

• Pink Toe Spiders? Like every tarantula, this arachnid gets called a pink toe spider in casual conversation. Tarantulas and true spiders are both arachnids, though tarantulas are the heavy bodied, long lived branch of the family, and a pink toe's habit of showing off its brightly colored feet while it walks is exactly why the nickname stuck.
• Three Looks In One Lifetime: Between the smoked gray and black spiderling stage, the juvenile stage as its red chelicerae come in, and the purple and orange adult reached around 3 inches, this species does not look like the same animal twice, which is part of what makes it such a rewarding one to raise from a young size.
• Captive Bred: All tarantulas at Exotics Unlimited are captive bred.

Looking for similar species?

• Browse our Arboreal Tarantulas and New World Tarantulas collections to explore related care profiles.

Listing Notes

• This listing is for a Ybyrapora sooretama Harlequin Pinktoe Tarantula well-started sling measuring around 0.75 to 1 inch in diagonal leg span, which is the size given in the title, unsexed, with roughly a 50/50 chance of male or female. It has cleared the most delicate early stage and is moving into the blue legged juvenile look, with the purple and orange adult color still ahead. Looking for other sizes? This species is also available as a 0.5 to 0.75 inch Spiderling or 1 inch Well-Started Sling.