Tliltocatl verdezi

🔤 Taxonomy

Tliltocatl verdezi (Schmidt, 2003) is the accepted World Spider Catalog name. It was described and sold for years as Brachypelma verdezi before Mendoza and Francke transferred it to the new genus Tliltocatl in 2020. Older listings may also confuse it with “Aphonopelma pallidum,” the trade problem that preceded its description; that is not a valid current identification for this species.

Common names include Mexican rose grey and, in German, Mexikanische Rosagraue Vogelspinne. Use the scientific name and breeder history because colors and common names overlap among Mexican terrestrial tarantulas.

📌 Description

This is a medium-sized New World terrestrial and opportunistic burrower from Mexico. Adults usually span 12-14 cm. Mature females may live 20 years or longer, whereas males mature faster and have much shorter adult lives. The muted rose-grey abdominal setae, reddish-brown carapace and dark legs are most evident after a molt.

The species is normally steady and slow-growing, though juveniles can bolt and any specimen may kick urticating hairs. It is suitable as a first tarantula when “beginner” means a carefully managed display animal, not a handled pet.

Care point	Practical target
Adult legspan	about 12-14 cm
Adult enclosure	about 30 x 30 x 25 cm
Substrate	10-15 cm, compact and mostly dry at the surface
Day temperature	20-25°C
Moisture	water dish plus one lightly moist lower corner
Adult feeding	one suitable meal every 10-21 days
Handling	none; avoid urticating-hair exposure

☠️ Venom

T. verdezi is venomous, but there is no clinical evidence that its venom is medically significant to a healthy adult. Bites remain painful puncture injuries that may swell or become infected, and individual reactions are unpredictable.

Urticating hairs are a more routine danger. They can inflame skin and are especially serious in eyes and lungs. Do not handle the spider or blow on it. Keep the enclosure below face height, use long tools and wash exposed skin and equipment. Rinse eye exposure without rubbing and seek prompt medical assessment. After a bite, obtain urgent care for severe or spreading pain, facial swelling, breathing difficulty, faintness or other systemic symptoms. Do not cut the wound or apply a tourniquet.

🌍 Distribution

WSC lists Mexico. Published work supports southern Guerrero and nearby eastern Oaxaca, with a documented collection locality at Acapulco. The original type locality was described imprecisely, so it should not be repeated as an exact inland point. Regional climate is seasonally dry and warm, while occupied burrows provide cooler, more stable conditions.

In captivity, give a dry surface, deep shaded retreat, moisture choice and clean water rather than reproducing coastal heat or rainfall mechanically.

Native range of Tliltocatl verdezi

🌡 Climate across the native range

Monthly normals from the documented Acapulco coastal locality; the exact type locality remains imprecise:

Acapulco, Guerrero — Mexico (documented collection locality)

View location on Google Maps

Month	Min °C	Mean °C	Max °C	RH %
January	20.2	24.8	30	70
February	20.2	25	30.4	67
March	20.5	25.6	30.9	66
April	21.5	26.4	31.6	65
May	23.2	27.2	31.6	70
June	23.2	26.1	29.6	82
July	23	26	29.5	84
August	23	25.8	29.2	85
September	22.6	25.1	28.3	87
October	22.5	25.2	28.5	87
November	21.8	25.3	29.2	81
December	20.9	25	29.8	74

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

⚖️ Legal status

The current CITES Appendices list Tliltocatl spp. in Appendix II, and the genus is in EU Annex B. International import or export can require permits; legal-acquisition evidence remains important for possession and later transfer in the EU. The Bern Convention is not relevant to this Mexican species.

Purchase captive-bred stock and keep the invoice, breeder details, former and current scientific names, transaction date and any import papers. Never rely on a seller’s unsupported claim that old Brachypelma verdezi stock predates controls. Mexico restricts collection and export of native tarantulas, while national rules may separately regulate venomous animals, transport, sale or breeding. Legal status checked 6 August 2026.

🤌 Husbandry

Keep one animal per enclosure. Slings need small, ventilated containers with several body lengths of floor space, a starter hide and enough substrate to burrow. Increase enclosure size in stages so prey and hydration remain easy to monitor.

Quarantine new arrivals for at least 60-90 days away from the collection. Use dedicated tools and record meals, fasting, molts, behavior and any mites. Trade labels for this species have a history of confusion, so photograph molts and preserve the paperwork. Seek an experienced exotics veterinarian for unexplained decline or injury rather than using insecticides or mite products around the spider.

Rehouse inside a larger tub or closed room. Prepare a catch cup and secure the destination before opening the source enclosure. Coax from behind; never pick up or restrain the spider.

💡 Lighting

No UVB or basking light is needed. Indirect room light for 10-12 hours provides a normal cycle. Keep the hide shaded and prevent direct sun. A modest plant lamp may be used only when it does not raise enclosure temperature.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Maintain 20-25°C by day and allow 18-21°C at night. A stable warm room is preferable to a hot enclosure wall. Feeding and growth slow in cool conditions, but heat is the more immediate risk; prolonged temperatures close to 30°C can cause dehydration and collapse.

If heat is necessary, warm the room or use a low-wattage thermostatically controlled source outside one side. Never heat beneath the substrate. Measure at spider level and retain a cooler refuge. Do not force seasonal cycling on juveniles, thin animals or new arrivals.

💧 Humidity and water

Provide a shallow water dish at all times. Let most of the surface dry, then moisten a lower corner or slightly overflow the dish. Slings need a little more frequent local moisture because their surface-area-to-volume ratio makes desiccation faster.

Avoid spraying the whole enclosure to reach a nominal humidity percentage. Good results come from a moisture gradient and cross-ventilation. Persistent condensation, wet webbing, fungus gnats or sour substrate mean the setup is too wet; a shriveled abdomen or long periods over an empty dish mean hydration must be corrected.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

An adult enclosure around 30 x 30 x 25 cm is adequate. Pack 10-15 cm of pesticide-free topsoil and coco fiber, optionally with a little clay for structure. Provide a partly buried cork-bark hide, leaf litter and a stable water dish. Some adults remain visible; others deepen the retreat. Both are normal.

Keep the gap above the substrate low to prevent injury in a fall. Use cross-ventilation, a secure non-mesh lid and ventilation holes too small for the carapace. Avoid sharp rock, loose gravel, calcium sand, perfumed soil and heavy decor that can collapse into a tunnel.

Before a molt the abdomen may darken, food may be refused and the hide may be sealed. Remove prey and do not disturb the retreat. Resume feeding only after the fangs turn fully black and the spider hardens—often 5-10 days in adults and less in small slings.

🪳 Feeding

Use captive-cultured roaches, crickets or locusts. Prey should generally be no larger than the abdomen; pre-kill oversized items for small slings. Feed slings every 4-7 days, juveniles every 7-10 days and adults about every 10-21 days, changing the interval according to abdomen condition and temperature.

Remove leftovers within 24 hours and immediately if premolt is possible. Worms that burrow should be offered in a dish or have the head crushed. Do not power-feed a slow-growing species: an abdomen much wider than the carapace increases fall and rupture risk. Whole prey supplies its nutrition; dusting with supplements is unnecessary.

🩺 Common problems

Urticating-hair exposure: minimize disturbance, keep dry shed skins away from the face and rinse eye exposures promptly.
Fall injury: prevent excess open height and hard decor beneath the spider.
Chronic dampness: a saturated enclosure causes mold and poor air quality; keep moisture local and ventilation active.
Dehydration or overheating: confirm fresh water and measured temperatures first when the spider appears weak.
Premolt feeding: prey may damage a soft spider. Remove it when fasting or retreat closure begins.
Obesity: reduce feeding when the abdomen becomes disproportionately large.
Identity and paperwork loss: retain both Brachypelma verdezi and Tliltocatl verdezi names in records so legal and breeding history remains traceable.

📌 Conclusion

Tliltocatl verdezi is a rewarding first or intermediate display tarantula for someone prepared to keep a dry-surface moisture gradient and preserve CITES origin records. Set up the low enclosure, water dish, deep substrate and no-contact maintenance tools before buying. Handling, overwatering and poorly documented stock undermine an otherwise resilient species.