Social Velvet Spider

True Spiders / Huntsmans

MOQ 20 head

Partners Only

1 – 1.5 cm body; ~2 – 3 cm legspan.

Eresid (velvet spider) with mild, medically insignificant venom — harmless to humans.

Dry forest, scrub and open country across South and Southeast Asia. Builds dense communal silk retreats and capture sheets in shrubs and low trees; colonies share webbing. 0 – 1,000 m.

Flying and crawling insects caught cooperatively on the colony capture web — flies, beetles, moths and grasshoppers.

26 – 30 °C ambient — 24 °C cool end

55 – 70 %. Largely dry with light misting; strong ventilation essential to prevent mould in the dense webbing.

None required, though tolerant of bright ambient light.

Crickets, flies and small roaches. Every 4 – 7 days; the web tolerates a steady supply for colonies.

Arboreal/communal — a well-ventilated enclosure (20 × 20 cm+) with twigs and anchor points for the communal web; sociable, so multiple individuals can be housed together.

Non-aggressive and social — lives in cooperative colonies and is not defensive toward people. Best kept as a colony display rather than handled.