Phormictopus auratus

🔤 Taxonomy

Phormictopus auratus is the Cuban bronze tarantula. Keep it separate from other Phormictopus species in records and breeding projects.

English common names used in the hobby:

• Cuban bronze tarantula
• Cuban gold tarantula

📌 Description

Phormictopus auratus is a New World tarantula kept mainly as a display invertebrate. Adult size is usually 6-7 cm body, 15-18 cm legspan, and lifespan is females 10-15+ years; males shorter after maturity. It should not be handled routinely. Even species considered calm can bolt, fall, bite, or flick urticating hairs when stressed. The keeper’s job is to provide a secure enclosure, stable moisture gradient, safe fall height, and enough privacy for normal feeding and molting.

The golden carapace is most evident under neutral ambient light, but appearance is not the reason to keep the spider exposed. Individuals often spend time in view once settled, yet can change direction abruptly and strike at prey vibrations. This combination of size, speed, and appetite makes the species better suited to an intermediate keeper.

🌍 Distribution

Cuba; warm seasonal terrestrial habitats with retreats, leaf litter, and scrub or forest-edge cover.

For keepers, the range is mainly a reminder to provide shelter, moisture choice, warmth, water, and reliable security.

Use the range as context, not as an instruction to chase outdoor weather. The enclosure needs shelter, warmth, water, and seasonal stability in forms the spider can choose between.

🌡 Climate across the native range

Monthly climate normals from reviewed GBIF occurrence locations:

Weather data by WorldClim v2.1 · Monthly normals queried by Herpeton Academy from raster values; relative humidity is derived from vapor pressure and mean temperature.

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

⚖️ Legal status

As checked against current official sources in April 2026, Phormictopus auratus is not currently listed in the CITES Appendices, and no species-specific EU wildlife-trade Annex listing was found. It is not relevant to the Bern Convention unless a country applies separate native-wildlife rules. Local rules on ownership, import, sale, transport, breeding, invasive-species control, dangerous-animal licensing, and proof of lawful origin may still apply; keep purchase and breeding records.

🤌 Husbandry

Babies or slings should start in smaller secure enclosures such as small secure ventilated cup with a moisture gradient. Smaller starter housing makes feeding, molts, hydration, and waste easier to monitor. Adults need the full planned enclosure, stronger locks or lids, and more stable environmental zones. Do not buy a young animal unless the adult housing, food supply, and legal responsibilities are already realistic.

This is a display tarantula, not a handling species. A moisture gradient, firm retreat, and predictable feeding routine make it easier to enjoy the colour without turning every maintenance session into a chase.

For adults, security is the priority: tight lids or doors, vents that cannot be enlarged, a water dish that will not flood the retreat, and no tall hard decor over open ground.

For spiderlings and juveniles, stability matters more than display. Keep the container small enough to locate prey and check molts, but include cover and a moisture choice so the animal is not forced to sit in the open.

Move a juvenile up only when it can use the extra space without prey becoming difficult to recover. Phormictopus can gain substantial size between molts, so inspect ventilation holes, lid fit, and the distance to hard surfaces at every rehouse. A sling-safe gap may not remain safe for a stronger juvenile.

House one animal per enclosure. A practical adult enclosure is 35 x 25 x 25 cm for one adult; give deeper substrate for burrowing. Larger is useful when it creates more usable movement, better gradients, and safer maintenance. Use secure ventilation and stable furnishings. Keep simple notes on feeding, molts, weight changes, and behaviour, and quarantine new animals before adding them to the collection.

Plan every opening: close the room, prepare a catch cup and card, and keep long forceps within reach. Spot-clean boluses and wash the water dish rather than repeatedly replacing substrate. Separate quarantine tools reduce the chance of moving mites or mold between enclosures.

💡 Lighting

A clear 10-12 hour day-night cycle is useful. Ordinary room light is enough for tarantulas; UVB and bright basking lamps are unnecessary. Avoid visible night lights and any lamp that dries the enclosure or overheats retreats.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for 24-28 °C with a slight night drop. Measure with digital probes and use an infrared thermometer for any warmed surfaces. Any supplemental heat should be controlled by a thermostat. Tarantulas are usually safer with warm room temperatures or gentle side heat rather than hot lamps or under-tank pads.

💧 Humidity and water

Humidity target: 60-75% with a water dish and one moist substrate zone. Keep fresh water available in a stable dish sized for the animal. Avoid stale wet air. Too much dryness can cause dehydration and poor molts, but constantly wet substrate encourages mold, mites, and unhealthy enclosure conditions.

Moisten a corner deeply and let the upper surface dry instead of misting the whole enclosure. Spiderlings need the lower layers checked more often because small ventilated cups lose water quickly. Persistent condensation means the balance of watering and ventilation is wrong, even if a humidity gauge displays the target number.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Provide a warm retreat, cooler retreat, water, safe texture for molting, and enough cover that the animal can move without feeling exposed. Juvenile setups should be simple enough to inspect but not bare. Adult enclosures must be built for strength, stable furniture, secure doors or lids, and safe cleaning access. Limit fall height for heavy terrestrial tarantulas. Use deep substrate, keep open space modest, and make sure lids, ventilation panels, and access points close securely.

🪳 Feeding

Feed roaches, crickets, locusts, and occasional worms; remove prey during premolt. Size meals to the spider’s body condition, not just its appetite. Spiderlings eat smaller meals more often; adults usually eat less often and should stay lean rather than swollen. Remove uneaten prey promptly, especially before a molt.

Small slings can take pre-killed cricket pieces or tiny roach nymphs twice weekly. Juveniles can move toward a weekly rhythm, while a well-conditioned adult may need food only every 10-14 days. After a molt, wait until the fangs are completely black; large specimens may require a week or more before prey is safe.

🥚 Breeding

Breed only clearly identified adults. Females can be fast and defensive, and spiderlings should be separated early into labeled cups. Breeding should use healthy mature animals with known identity and lawful origin. Keep dates, pairings, offspring numbers, and transfer records, and do not produce more young than can be housed and placed responsibly.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include dehydration, bad molts, overheating, mites, fall injuries, refusal to feed with visible weight loss, and stress from exposure or poor security. Warning signs include a shriveled abdomen, leaking injury, failed molt, swollen joints, twisting posture, sudden lethargy, or repeated frantic escape attempts. Consult an exotic-animal veterinarian for severe weakness, injury, swelling, failed molt, or prolonged refusal to feed with decline in body condition.

A tarantula lying on its back is normally molting. Do not right it or spray it directly. Hair exposure can irritate skin and eyes, so wash after maintenance and never work with the face over the enclosure. Secure water access is the first check for a wrinkled abdomen; leaking hemolymph or a fall injury is urgent.

📌 Conclusion

Phormictopus auratus needs adult-sized planning from the start, not only interest in the juvenile stage. Secure housing, measured conditions, appropriate feeding, and basic records make long-term care predictable.

📚 Sources and further reading

• World Spider Catalog species entry
• GBIF species entry for Phormictopus auratus
• Tarantula Collective: Phormictopus auratus care
• Tom’s Big Spiders: Phormictopus species husbandry
• CITES Checklist and Appendices
• EU wildlife trade regulations