Brazilian Jewel
Typhochlaena seladonia
The Brazilian Jewel (Typhochlaena seladonia) is one of the most extraordinary tarantulas alive — a tiny, jewel-toned arboreal from Brazil's Atlantic Forest that builds a camouflaged bark TRAPDOOR and ambushes prey from behind it, a behaviour almost unique among tarantulas. Dazzling greens, blues and pinks on a spider barely 2". It's advanced not for venom but for cost and delicacy: it needs a precise humidity/ventilation balance and porous bark it can cut a door into. A living gem for the dedicated arboreal keeper.
Photo Credit: Exotics Unlimited
- Temperature75–82°F (24–28°C) — warm, humid Atlantic-forest temperature. Steady warmth; no hot lamps. Stability matters to this delicate species.
- HumidityPrecise: damp and humid (70–80%) but impeccably ventilated — this balance is the whole challenge. Keep a lightly damp base, mist gently, and ensure constant fresh airflow; it tolerates neither drying out nor stagnant wet air. Get the equilibrium right and it's stable; swing either way and it's fragile.
- Adult sizeA true dwarf: adults reach 2–2.5 inches across the legs (diagonal leg span). A relatively fast grower — expect visible progress between molts when well fed.
- LifespanFemales roughly 8–12 years; mature males 3–4 years. Slow-growing and delicate.
Enclosure
A small, tall arboreal enclosure with excellent ventilation and — critically — a piece of porous cork/bark it can excavate a trapdoor into and hide behind. Height over floor, vertical structure, secure and airy. It's tiny and delicate; a nano arboreal suits it. Escape-proof (small and quick).
Substrate & water
1–2 inches of lightly damp coco/topsoil at the base for humidity, with the real habitat being the porous bark it cuts its trapdoor into. Keep damp-not-wet and impeccably ventilated. Provide bark it can work.
Feeding
An ambush trapdoor hunter — it snatches small prey that passes its door. Small prey to abdomen size — flightless fruit flies/pinheads; slings and adults alike take small items. Feed near the trapdoor. Remove uneaten prey promptly.
Temperament & defenses
Advanced by delicacy and cost, not venom — it's tiny, fragile, and expensive, and its defence is hiding behind its door rather than biting. Type II contact-transfer hairs present. Not a handling animal (far too small, quick and delicate). Observe and marvel; disturb it as little as possible.
Keeper’s notes
A holy-grail display piece for the experienced arboreal keeper — nothing else in the hobby builds and ambushes from a camouflaged bark trapdoor, and the jewel colouring is unreal. We stock it only for keepers who understand it's advanced through fragility and price, not danger: nail the humidity-ventilation balance and give it workable bark, and you have one of the most remarkable animals in all of tarantula-keeping.
Browse available specimens → None of this species in stock right now — browse the full shop or check back soon.
We raise and document every animal before it ships, so stock moves slowly and quietly. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment one is ready — no other mail, and you can leave the list any time.