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Melopoeus minax

🔤 Taxonomy

World Spider Catalog currently treats this taxon as Melopoeus minax. GBIF and much of the hobby trade still use Cyriopagopus minax, and older labels may also use Haplopelma minax.

Use the WSC accepted name for new records, but keep the older name on invoices and source notes so the animal remains traceable.

Older names, trade labels, or important status notes:

  • Cyriopagopus minax
  • Haplopelma minax
  • Ornithoctonus minax

English common names used in the hobby:

  • Thailand black tarantula
  • Thai black tarantula
  • Thailand black earth tiger

📌 Description

Melopoeus minax is the Thailand black tarantula: a deep-burrowing Old World species from Myanmar and Thailand that should be planned as a fossorial display animal, not a visible handling pet.

Adults are usually about 13-16 cm legspan. Females can live many years; mature males become restless and short-lived after maturity.

This is an expert-level tarantula. The appeal is the black coloration and earth-tiger behavior, but the keeper has to manage speed, defensiveness, deep substrate, medically significant bite risk, and a spider that may stay hidden for long periods.

☠️ Venom

Treat this species as medically significant. Bites from large Asian theraphosids can cause severe local pain, swelling, cramping, nausea, dizziness, and prolonged discomfort.

Do not handle it. Use long tools, a catch cup, and a closed-room rehousing plan. Seek medical advice for serious, spreading, allergic, respiratory, or persistent symptoms.

🌍 Distribution

World Spider Catalog lists Melopoeus minax from Myanmar and Thailand. Hobby animals are often sold as Thailand black or Thai black earth tiger.

In the enclosure, the important microhabitat is the burrow: deep shape-holding substrate, a humid lower layer, clean water, and breathable air above the soil. A wet surface is not a substitute for a stable retreat.

Range map

⚖️ Legal status

No current CITES listing was found for Melopoeus minax / Cyriopagopus minax in the official CITES sources checked on 2026-06-03. No species-specific listing was found in Annexes A-D of the EU wildlife trade regulations. The species is not relevant to the Bern Convention because it is not native to Europe.

Local rules on ownership, import, sale, transport, exhibition, breeding, and proof of legal origin may still apply. Keep invoices, seller or breeder details, import or transfer paperwork where relevant, and photos or records that connect the animal to a lawful source.

🤌 Husbandry

Keep Melopoeus minax alone. Routine communal keeping is not appropriate for a defensive fossorial Old World tarantula.

Spiderlings can start in small tubs with enough depth to make a tunnel and enough ventilation to avoid stale substrate. Adults need a deep terrestrial enclosure where most height is usable soil rather than empty fall space.

Do not dig it out for viewing. Maintenance should be built around water access, prey removal, and a service gap that does not force the spider out of its burrow.

Useful adult priorities:

  • deep compactable substrate
  • starter burrow or cork entrance
  • secure lid and small service opening
  • water dish
  • moderately moist lower layer with a drier surface

💡 Lighting

No UVB or specialist display lamp is required. Normal room light is enough.

Bright overhead heat lamps usually make care worse by drying the surface while the spider retreats deeper.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for about 22-27°C by day, with nights around 20-23°C.

If extra heat is needed, warm the room or one side gently under thermostat control. Do not heat from below; the deeper substrate must remain the safe retreat, not the hottest place.

💧 Humidity and water

Aim for about 70-85% as a ventilated gradient. Keep the lower substrate lightly moist and provide water without flooding the burrow.

Let the top layer dry somewhat between water additions. Stale wet soil, mold, and condensation are signs to adjust ventilation and watering.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Use 20-25 cm or more of compactable substrate for adults. A cork entrance or starter tunnel helps the spider build where maintenance is safer.

Avoid heavy rocks, collapsing decor, mesh that catches claws, and tall empty space above the substrate. Prepare the catch cup before opening the enclosure.

🪳 Feeding

Feed roaches, crickets, locusts where legal, and occasional worms. Adults usually do well on suitable prey every 7-14 days.

Drop prey near the burrow entrance and remove uneaten insects. Do not dig into a sealed burrow during premolt.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include collapsed tunnels, dry lower substrate, stale wet soil, escape during water changes, failed molts from dehydration, and risky rehousing.

Surface wandering outside maturity often means the burrow, moisture gradient, or enclosure security needs review.

📌 Conclusion

Melopoeus minax suits keepers who accept a hidden, defensive, moisture-dependent tarantula. Success comes from deep substrate, secure openings, hydration, and patience rather than visibility.

📚 Sources and further reading