Avicularia purpurea (purple pink-toed tarantula) 0.75"

This is a medium-sized aviculariine native to Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Like other aviculariines, it is arboreal and has color pattern ontogeny. The spiderlings and juveniles are predominantly black with a metallic green sheen and a central longitudinal black stripe connected by transversal black stripes on each side of the opisthosoma dorsum. Two morphotypes of this species are known: a Northern and a Southern variant. The most common morphotype in the hobby is the Northern variant, seen here. The Southern variant has less intense purple coloration and retains reddish-brown lateral striping on the opisthosoma until maturity. In the hobby, the Southern variant is represented by the stock previously known as Avicularia sp. ‘Colombia’ and Avicularia sp. ‘Ecuador’.