Poecilotheria subfusca

🔤 Taxonomy

Poecilotheria subfusca is the currently accepted scientific name. World Spider Catalog treats Poecilotheria bara and Poecilotheria uniformis as synonyms.

Hobby labels such as highland, lowland, bara, and subfusca have been used inconsistently. Keep locality and lineage information with the animal and avoid mixing lines just because two spiders share a similar ivory pattern.

English common names used in the hobby:

• ivory ornamental tarantula
• ivory ornamental
• Sri Lankan ivory ornamental

📌 Description

Poecilotheria subfusca is a Sri Lankan arboreal Old World tarantula that needs a cooler, secure, well-ventilated vertical setup more than a hot display box.

Adults are usually about 15-20 cm legspan. Females are heavier and long-lived; mature males become much more mobile and are short-lived after maturity.

This is an expert display species. The appeal is the pale ivory contrast and vertical posture, but the practical reality is speed, medically significant venom, conservation paperwork, and a spider that must never be handled.

☠️ Venom

Treat this species as medically significant. Poecilotheria bites can cause intense pain, swelling, muscle cramps, nausea, dizziness, and prolonged discomfort.

There is no routine pet-care antivenom. Use catch cups, long tools, planned rehousing containers, and avoid direct contact. Seek medical advice after serious, spreading, allergic, respiratory, or prolonged symptoms.

🌍 Distribution

World Spider Catalog lists Poecilotheria subfusca from Sri Lanka. Published conservation profiles associate it with subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and arboreal retreats.

In captivity this means secure vertical cover, strong air exchange, clean water, and a cooler humid retreat. Do not overheat this species just because it is tropical; heat plus stale humidity is a common failure point.

🌡 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 subfusca 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 subfusca 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 photos or 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

House Poecilotheria subfusca alone unless a controlled breeding introduction is being supervised. It is not a communal species for routine keeping.

Spiderlings can start in small arboreal containers with bark, a water source, and enough ventilation. Adults need a tall enclosure, a tight bark retreat, and a maintenance layout that lets water and prey be managed without contact.

Known highland or lowland line information should stay with the animal. Do not breed animals with unclear or conflicting labels just to produce more stock.

Useful adult priorities:

• tall escape-proof enclosure
• vertical cork bark tube or slab
• strong cross-ventilation
• water dish or reliable water access
• cooler humid retreat with dry surfaces nearby

Trade labels such as “highland” and “lowland” are not a license to mix stock or guess climate requirements. Preserve breeder and locality records and manage the individual according to measured enclosure conditions. Put the water dish within tong reach, face the cork retreat away from the door, and avoid decor that must be dismantled for service. Major work belongs inside a larger clear catch tub with a rigid cup, card, second secure container, and helper ready.

Spiderlings often use a soil-level retreat or burrow under bark. Start them with 3-5 cm of firm moisture-holding substrate and diagonal cork rather than excessive empty height. Add vertical space gradually as juveniles shift upward. Rehouse only when water access, feeding, or turning space becomes inadequate; an unnecessary move creates more risk than a slightly plain enclosure.

Do not handle or touch the spider to assess temperament. If it emerges during maintenance, withdraw tools and wait. For transfers, align old and new retreats in the work tub and guide from behind with a long soft brush. Never place a hand in the expected escape route.

💡 Lighting

No UVB or specialist basking lamp is required. Ambient room light is enough.

Avoid bright lamps above the retreat. Heat and drying at the top of a vertical enclosure can force the spider into unsafe movement or chronic hiding.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Use a cooler warm-room range: roughly 20-25°C by day, with nights around 18-21°C. Avoid hot basking zones.

If supplemental 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 a moisture reserve without making the enclosure sealed or wet.

Good airflow matters as much as moisture. Stale wet air, mold, and soggy bark are more dangerous than a surface that dries between waterings.

For P. subfusca, stable hydration and avoiding excess heat are more useful than chasing a high humidity number. Keep a moist lower corner by overflowing a small part of the water dish, but allow the upper bark and walls to dry. Measure close to the occupied retreat. Persistent condensation, mold, or sour odor means airflow and watering need correction.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Use cork tubes, vertical bark slabs, and stable anchor points. The retreat should be deep enough for the spider to disappear completely.

Keep doors, vents, and water access planned around speed. Avoid mesh that catches claws and avoid layouts where the spider sits directly on the opening path.

🪳 Feeding

Feed roaches, crickets, locusts where legal, and occasional worms. Spiderlings can eat small prey more often; adults usually do well on suitable prey every 7-14 days.

Do not leave prey in a closed retreat when the spider is in premolt. Remove uneaten insects promptly and feed by body condition rather than reflexive feeding response.

Small spiderlings may feed once or twice weekly, while adults often hold good condition on one suitable prey item every 10-14 days. Adjust to abdomen size rather than forcing a schedule. A sealed retreat, reduced activity, and refusal can precede molting. Remove feeders and wait until the fangs are fully dark and the body is hardened before offering the first post-molt meal.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include overheating, stale humidity, dehydration before a molt, escapes during water changes, and risky rehousing.

A hidden spider is normal. Repeatedly opening or disturbing the retreat raises bite and escape risk and often makes husbandry worse.

Lying on the back is normal during a molt; do not turn the animal over. A persistently shriveled abdomen despite fresh water, marked weakness, mites around the mouth, stale saturated substrate, fall damage, leaking hemolymph, or appendages caught after a molt requires prompt review. Correct environmental faults, but ask an exotics veterinarian experienced with arachnids about severe injury or a failed molt.

After any bite, secure the scene, wash the site, and obtain medical advice. Give the clinician the full scientific name and time of exposure. Do not cut, suction, freeze, or tightly tourniquet the limb. Muscle pain and cramps may develop after the initial local reaction, so continued observation matters.

📌 Conclusion

Poecilotheria subfusca suits experienced keepers who can manage conservation paperwork, cooler humid arboreal housing, and hands-off maintenance. It should be acquired only from traceable legal sources.

📚 Sources and further reading

• CITES Checklist and Appendices - legal-status references checked 2026-06-03
• EU wildlife trade regulations - legal-status references checked 2026-06-03
• Bern Convention appendices
• GBIF species backbone entry for Poecilotheria subfusca
• 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 listed species report