Home / Tarantulas / Gooty Sapphire Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica)

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica)

The Gooty Sapphire tarantula is a species of spider found in the southern parts of India. Its geometric pattern and blue coloration makes it unique in appearance.

Scientific Classification

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: They are big in size, an adult spider growing upto a length of 6 inches (152.4 mm).

Color: Blue body (the only species in its genus to be have such a coloration) which is more prominent in adult males than females. Patches of yellow colorations are seen on its legs.

Other characteristics: The males are seen with more slender bodies and longer legs in comparison to their female counterparts. Some of the blue-haired tarantulas could possess a flower like structure on their hairs that help in minimizing iridescence.  

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Size

Eggs

The eggs are round, with thousands of purple slings contained in a single sac.

Spiderlings

The spiderlings are mostly lavender in color that fades away and are replaced with blue as they grow up.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Spiderlings

The Web

They have asymmetrical and funnel-shaped webs that are made in the holes of trees where these spiders live.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Web

Do the Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Bite and are They Poisonous

These spiders are mostly submissive and try to escape on sensing a threat and could only bite if provoked.

In most cases they give dry bites where the venom does not enter into the body of the victim. No fatalities in humans have been recorded till date, though the bite could be painful since their fangs grow to about 3/4th inch. The symptoms could be mild pertaining to swelling or lump lasting for a week or a little severe depending on the nature of the bite.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Habitat

Quick Facts

Other names Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty tarantula, Gooty sapphire, peacock parachute spider, metallic tarantula, peacock tarantula
Lifespan Males: 3 to 4 years
Females: 12 years
Distribution India (Andhra Pradesh), Sri Lanka
Habitat They are arboreal spiders, mostly living inside the holes of tall trees, in the dense deciduous forests.
Predators Tarantula hawk, big wasps
Diet Several insects like fruit flies, mantis, moths
IUCN Critically Endangered

Did You Know

  • They got their name from the place Gooty (in Andhra Pradesh), where they were discovered for the first time near a railway timber yard in 1897.
  • After their inception, they were rediscovered after about 113 years in the forest reserve which lies between the regions of Nandyal and Giddalur and were seen for the last time in 2013.
  • People have kept it as pets and in the U.S an adult cost more than $500, while the price of spiderlings varies from $100 to $200, with females costing more.
  • The limited area it is confined too, alongside being much sought-after by scientists and enthusiasts interested in keeping them as pets, make these species highly endangered.

Image Credit: Wafflesatnoon.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com, Animal-world.com, C1.staticflickr.com, Backwaterreptilesblog.com

The Gooty Sapphire tarantula is a species of spider found in the southern parts of India. Its geometric pattern and blue coloration makes it unique in appearance.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: They are big in size, an adult spider growing upto a length of 6 inches (152.4 mm).

Color: Blue body (the only species in its genus to be have such a coloration) which is more prominent in adult males than females. Patches of yellow colorations are seen on its legs.

Other characteristics: The males are seen with more slender bodies and longer legs in comparison to their female counterparts. Some of the blue-haired tarantulas could possess a flower like structure on their hairs that help in minimizing iridescence.  

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Size

Eggs

The eggs are round, with thousands of purple slings contained in a single sac.

Spiderlings

The spiderlings are mostly lavender in color that fades away and are replaced with blue as they grow up.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Spiderlings

The Web

They have asymmetrical and funnel-shaped webs that are made in the holes of trees where these spiders live.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Web

Do the Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Bite and are They Poisonous

These spiders are mostly submissive and try to escape on sensing a threat and could only bite if provoked.

In most cases they give dry bites where the venom does not enter into the body of the victim. No fatalities in humans have been recorded till date, though the bite could be painful since their fangs grow to about 3/4th inch. The symptoms could be mild pertaining to swelling or lump lasting for a week or a little severe depending on the nature of the bite.

Gooty Sapphire Tarantula Habitat

Quick Facts

Other names Gooty sapphire ornamental tree spider, Gooty tarantula, Gooty sapphire, peacock parachute spider, metallic tarantula, peacock tarantula
Lifespan Males: 3 to 4 years
Females: 12 years
Distribution India (Andhra Pradesh), Sri Lanka
Habitat They are arboreal spiders, mostly living inside the holes of tall trees, in the dense deciduous forests.
Predators Tarantula hawk, big wasps
Diet Several insects like fruit flies, mantis, moths
IUCN Critically Endangered

Did You Know

  • They got their name from the place Gooty (in Andhra Pradesh), where they were discovered for the first time near a railway timber yard in 1897.
  • After their inception, they were rediscovered after about 113 years in the forest reserve which lies between the regions of Nandyal and Giddalur and were seen for the last time in 2013.
  • People have kept it as pets and in the U.S an adult cost more than $500, while the price of spiderlings varies from $100 to $200, with females costing more.
  • The limited area it is confined too, alongside being much sought-after by scientists and enthusiasts interested in keeping them as pets, make these species highly endangered.

Image Credit: Wafflesatnoon.com, 3.bp.blogspot.com, Animal-world.com, C1.staticflickr.com, Backwaterreptilesblog.com