Tanzanian Tailless Whip Spider

🔤 Taxonomy

Damon diadema (Simon, 1876) is an amblypygid, not a true spider or scorpion. “Tanzanian tailless whip scorpion,” “whip spider,” and “giant amblypygid” are trade names. D. medius and other striped Damon are frequently confused with it, so retain locality and breeder records instead of relying on leg bands alone.

📌 Description

The flattened body is about 4-6 cm, while pedipalps and extremely long antenniform first legs make the animal appear much larger. It has no venom gland or stinger. It captures insects with spined pedipalps and explores with sensory legs that are easily damaged. This is an advanced display animal because molts demand a tall, calm, humid but ventilated retreat.


Body length	4-6 cm; appendage span much greater
Adult enclosure	at least 30 x 30 x 45 cm for one
Day / night	24-28°C / 20-24°C
Humidity	70-85%, with ventilation
Food	live roaches, crickets, moths and similar insects
Handling	display-only

🌍 Distribution

Museum catalogues record D. diadema from Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Yemen. It occupies dark rock faces, crevices, caves, and other sheltered surfaces. The outdoor climate values below show regional seasonality; the animal experiences a more buffered, humid microclimate inside retreats.

Range map

🌡 Climate across the native range

Monthly climate normals from a reviewed coastal East African occurrence:

Kilifi — Kenya (reviewed D. diadema occurrence)

View location on Google Maps

Month	Min °C	Mean °C	Max °C	RH %
January	24.9	27.1	30.2	76
February	24.8	27.2	30.6	76
March	25.4	27.8	30.9	77
April	25.1	27.1	29.4	81
May	24.4	25.9	27.8	82
June	23.8	25.2	26.9	78
July	23.1	24.5	26.3	77
August	22.9	24.4	26.5	78
September	23.2	24.9	27.2	78
October	23.7	25.6	28	79
November	24.2	26.4	28.9	81
December	24.9	27.1	29.9	79

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com · CC BY 4.0 · Monthly normals calculated by Herpeton Academy from daily archive values.

Location references use GBIF.org occurrence data where available; original occurrence records retain their source dataset licenses.

⚖️ Legal status

Checked on 2026-08-30: no listing was found for D. diadema in CITES or the EU wildlife-trade annexes, and the Bern Convention is not relevant. No entry under this name was found on the current EU Union list of invasive alien species. Import, commercial wildlife declarations, animal-welfare rules, and local restrictions on exotic arachnids can still apply.

Keep proof of captive-bred origin, seller and locality details, and all import or transfer paperwork. Confirm border requirements before purchase. Maintain the species indoors in an escape-proof enclosure and never release an animal or contaminated substrate.

🤌 Husbandry

Keep an adult alone in at least 30 x 30 x 45 cm. Juvenile siblings can show prolonged tolerance and family association, but this does not make casual adult communal housing safe; predation and injuries can occur when space, prey, or retreats are limited. Solitary housing is the conservative default.

Quarantine new animals in a simple enclosure for at least several weeks. Use separate tools, record feeding and molts, and examine discarded exuviae for mites or damage. Avoid unnecessary transfers.

💡 Lighting

UVB is unnecessary. Provide low, indirect light on a 10-12 hour schedule and deep shaded retreats. Bright lamps stress the animal and can dry the vertical molting surface. Use dim red room light only briefly for observation; darkness should remain the normal active period.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Maintain 24-28°C during the day, with a cooler 22-24°C retreat and 20-24°C at night. Avoid a focused basking lamp. Heat the room or one side under thermostat control, and place probes beside the bark or cork slab where the animal rests.

💧 Humidity and water

Keep relative humidity around 70-85%, rising locally to 80-90% around a molt, while providing cross-ventilation. Moisten one part of the substrate and mist a wall lightly; leave other surfaces merely humid, not dripping. Offer a shallow stable water dish. Stagnant saturated air promotes mold and respiratory stress, whereas a fully dry retreat contributes to failed molts.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Install large vertical cork bark slabs separated from the wall by narrow retreats. Provide rough surfaces and a clear vertical drop of at least two full leg spans beneath the preferred molting area. Add 5 cm of coir/soil that holds moisture without becoming mud, leaf litter, and a second hiding surface.

Do not dismantle a sealed retreat or disturb an animal hanging for molt. Remove prey as soon as premolt refusal begins and wait until the new cuticle and appendages are fully firm before feeding—often a week for a large individual.

🪳 Feeding

Offer one or two appropriately sized captive-bred roaches, crickets, moths, or locust nymphs every 5-7 days; juveniles may take smaller prey more often. Prey should be narrower than the body and easy to control. Remove crickets and other biting prey within 12-24 hours, immediately in premolt.

Use varied, gut-loaded feeders. Do not offer vertebrates, wild pesticide-exposed insects, or prey large enough to injure the sensory legs. Routine supplement dusting is unnecessary for a whole-insect predator.

🥚 Breeding and young

Courtship is long and involves tactile signalling and a spermatophore. The female carries an egg sac beneath the abdomen for roughly 90-180 days at about 24-27°C; do not remove or separately incubate it. Pale prenymphs climb onto her back and remain there until the first molt. Disturbance, dehydration, or a fall can destroy the brood.

Breeding requires a second prepared enclosure and a plan for 15-40 individually monitored young. Separate juveniles if size differences, missing limbs, poor feeding, or aggression appear.

🧍 Handling and safety

Never grasp the body, pedipalps, or whip-like sensory legs. Guide the animal into a catch cup with cork bark. A frightened specimen can sprint sideways, pinch defensively, or shed an appendage. It is not medically venomous, but broken skin should be cleaned normally.

🩺 Common problems

Trapped molt, twisted legs, or a fall → insufficient vertical clearance, disturbance, dehydration, or poor grip.
Shortened or missing sensory leg → rough capture, door injury, aggressive prey, or unsuitable cohabitation.
Persistent hiding and refusal → premolt, excessive light, heat, disturbance, or illness; check conditions before offering more prey.
Mold, mites, or condensation → saturated substrate and weak airflow.
Shrunken abdomen or poor coordination → dehydration or advanced systemic illness; consult an exotics veterinarian experienced with arachnids.

📌 Conclusion

Damon diadema suits an experienced keeper who values nocturnal observation over handling. A secure tall enclosure, intact sensory legs, undisturbed molts, and controlled humidity are the welfare priorities.