Poecilotheria smithi

🔤 Taxonomy

Poecilotheria smithi is the currently accepted scientific name. World Spider Catalog treats Poecilotheria pococki as a synonym of this species.

English common names used in the hobby:

• Kandy parachute spider
• yellow-backed ornamental
• Smith’s tiger spider

📌 Description

Poecilotheria smithi is a fast arboreal Old World tarantula from Sri Lanka. It is kept for display, not handling, and the enclosure has to be designed around speed, medically significant venom, and reliable paperwork.

Adults are usually about 15-20 cm legspan. Females are heavier and long-lived; mature males become slimmer, restless, and short-lived after maturity.

This is an expert species. A calm individual is still capable of explosive movement, defensive threat posture, and a serious bite.

☠️ Venom

Poecilotheria bites should be treated as medically significant. Reported effects can include intense pain, swelling, muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, and prolonged discomfort.

Do not handle this species. Use catch cups, long tools, a closed work area, and planned rehousing containers. Seek medical advice after serious, spreading, allergic, respiratory, or persistent symptoms.

🌍 Distribution

World Spider Catalog lists Poecilotheria smithi from Sri Lanka. Care should reflect restricted Sri Lankan forest habitats with tree hollows and bark retreats.

In captivity this means a secure vertical retreat, cross-ventilation, clean water, and a moisture gradient that does not turn the enclosure into a sealed wet box.

🌡 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

Poecilotheria smithi is covered by the CITES Appendix II listing for Poecilotheria spp. In the EU wildlife trade system, Poecilotheria tarantulas are treated under Annex B rules. The species is not relevant to the Bern Convention because it is not native to Europe. In the United States, Poecilotheria smithi is also listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act, so interstate commerce and transfers may need specific legal review.

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

🤌 Husbandry

Keep Poecilotheria smithi alone except for a controlled breeding introduction.

Spiderlings can start in small secure arboreal containers with bark and ventilation. Adults need a vertical enclosure around 30 x 30 x 45 cm or larger, filled with usable cork, bark, and anchor points.

Useful adult priorities:

• escape-proof vertical enclosure
• cork tube or vertical bark slab
• strong cross-ventilation
• water dish or reliable water access
• door layout that blocks sudden bolting

The rarity of P. smithi is another reason to avoid casual transfers and ambiguous labels. Arrange the water dish at the service edge, face the cork retreat away from the opening, and make every branch removable without dismantling the spider’s shelter. For major work, place the complete enclosure inside a clear catch tub. A rigid-sided cup, card, second secure container, and helper should be ready before the door opens.

Small spiderlings commonly use the substrate boundary rather than behaving like miniature adults. Provide 3-5 cm of compact, moisture-holding substrate and a diagonal bark strip that offers both a soil-level crevice and a vertical route. Upgrade juveniles only when feeding or water service becomes difficult. Preserve molt records, sex, breeder identity, and any locality information through every move so this uncommon species is not later confused with similar ornamentals.

Never touch the spider to assess temperament. Pause if it leaves cover during routine work. During rehousing, align the old and new hides inside the work tub and guide slowly from behind with a long soft brush. Do not put fingers in front of a bolt or attempt to catch a falling spider by hand.

💡 Lighting

Normal room lighting is enough. UVB and hot basking lamps are unnecessary.

Use indirect display light only. Bright heat above the retreat can dry the upper webbing and force the spider into exposed movement.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for about 22-26°C by day, with nights around 19-22°C. Avoid a hot basking spot.

If extra heat is needed, warm the room or one side gently under thermostat control. The spider must be able to leave the warmest area without leaving its retreat.

💧 Humidity and water

Aim for about 70-85% as a ventilated gradient. Keep water available and maintain some moisture reserve without keeping the enclosure sealed or wet.

Good airflow matters as much as humidity. Condensation, mold, and a sour smell mean moisture is outpacing ventilation.

Create humidity in the lower substrate while allowing upper bark to dry. Overflowing one edge of the water dish or moistening one corner is easier to control than spraying the entire enclosure. Check readings close to the occupied retreat. Persistent droplets on the walls, mold, or a sour smell indicate that ventilation or watering must change.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Use cork tubes, vertical bark slabs, branches, and foliage to create private routes from floor to top. The retreat should let the tarantula disappear completely.

Avoid wide mesh, loose heavy decor, large door gaps, and layouts where the spider sits directly on the opening path.

🪳 Feeding

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

Offer prey near the retreat and remove uneaten insects before molts. Do not use vertebrate prey.

Feed by body condition. Spiderlings can receive small prey once or twice a week; established adults often need one appropriate item every 10-14 days. A spider that closes its retreat or repeatedly refuses food without losing condition may be preparing to molt. Remove prey and do not resume feeding until the fangs have become fully dark and the body is firm, which can take a week or more in adults.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include escape during water changes, stale wet air, dehydration, stuck molts, fall injuries, overfeeding, and rushed rehousing.

Most incidents happen during routine access. Design the enclosure so water, prey, and maintenance can be managed without chasing the spider.

Lying on the back is the normal molt position, not a reason to intervene. Warning signs include a persistently shriveled abdomen despite fresh water, marked weakness, mites clustered around the mouth, stagnant wet substrate, fall damage, leaking hemolymph, or appendages trapped after a molt. Correct straightforward environmental errors, but contact an exotics veterinarian with arachnid experience for significant injury or a failed molt.

For a bite, secure the scene without risking a second exposure, wash the wound, and contact medical or poison-information services. Give the scientific name and the time of the event. Cutting, suction, ice, and tight tourniquets are inappropriate. Monitor for delayed muscle pain, cramping, nausea, or other systemic effects even if the initial wound seems limited.

📌 Conclusion

Poecilotheria smithi suits experienced keepers who can manage a secure arboreal setup, conservation paperwork, and no-contact maintenance. Buy only from traceable legal sources.

📚 Sources and further reading

• CITES Checklist and Appendices - legal status checked on 2026-06-03
• EU wildlife trade regulations - legal status checked on 2026-06-03
• Bern Convention appendices
• GBIF species backbone entry for Poecilotheria smithi
• World Spider Catalog species entry
• Tom’s Big Spiders: Poecilotheria husbandry notes
• Clinico-epidemiology of Poecilotheria bites in Sri Lanka
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species profile
• Federal Register ESA final rule for Sri Lankan Poecilotheria