Eight legged emporium

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Melopoeus lividus: one of my adult females, freshly moultedA quiet behind-the-scenes moment. This fossorial ornithoctoni...
09/10/2026

Melopoeus lividus: one of my adult females, freshly moulted

A quiet behind-the-scenes moment. This fossorial ornithoctonine is native to Myanmar and Thailand, and built for life below ground. Deep substrate and a high, stable humidity gradient help provide the conditions this obligate burrower needs.

That electric blue isn’t pigment: it comes from light interference in the setae. A fresh moult is when it reads at its most intense, before the setae dull with wear.

She’s come through the moult and is still hardening, so it stays hands off. Moulting and hardening both take time, and replacing lost fluid is the priority. No feeding until the fangs have darkened and she’s back out on her own terms.

eightleggedemporium.co.uk

Thank you all soo much for an amazing Invert Shows UK Coventry show we had a cracking time as you can see with Scotts In...
05/10/2026

Thank you all soo much for an amazing Invert Shows UK Coventry show we had a cracking time as you can see with Scotts Inverts

We have just refreshed some stock and added a few new bits and removed some others.

H geurroiroi
A metallica
A minatrix
G rosea red
A veriegata
D pentaloris
H formosus
N incei gold
P everetti
C brachycephalus
And lots of others.

We will next be attending Southhampton show and it’s an Absoloutly cracking venue get yourself a down there!

Eightleggedemporium.co.uk

02/10/2026

Ceratogyrus marshalli

What you’re watching is half of a negotiation.

The straight-horned baboon is a fossorial species from Zimbabwe and Mozambique. In the rainy season, mature males leave their burrows and go looking, and they don’t wander blindly. They find a female’s burrow, settle at the entrance, and drum. Pedipalps and front legs, tapped in rhythm.

The silk apron she’s sitting on isn’t just a doorstep. It stabilises the tunnel, holds humidity, and carries vibration, so when he drums on it, the message arrives as something felt rather than heard. She answers on the same channel, or she doesn’t. If she does, he advances, hooks his front legs under her chelicerae to lock position, and gets out quickly once he’s done.

Two centimetres of silk doing the work of a phone line. Less romantic, more efficient.

eightleggedemporium.co.uk

25/09/2026

Thalerommata yukpa

Described in 2024 from the foothills of the Perijá range in northern Colombia, and named for the Yukpa people whose territory it comes from.

At a couple of centimetres, it’s one of the smallest tarantulas in the hobby. It also doesn’t dig. Instead it spins a dense sheet of silk flat across the ground and sits on top of it, and that mat is a sensory organ as much as a home. Every strand carries vibration straight back to the spider’s legs.

So feeding isn’t a chase. It’s a conversation held entirely in silk.

Monocentropus balfouriA fascinating keeper observation: two spiderlings appear to be feeding directly at their mother’s ...
24/09/2026

Monocentropus balfouri

A fascinating keeper observation: two spiderlings appear to be feeding directly at their mother’s chelicerae. The mouthparts

The best explanation is that they’re taking macerated prey or regurgitated nutrients from her. This behaviour is widely reported in captivity, but it’s important not to present it as definitively confirmed maternal feeding behaviour in the wild

M. balfouri is well known for communal living, with spiderlings sharing space and prey. Tiny dinner guests with very questionable table manners!!

Harpactira marksi, Elizabethfontein baboon from South Africa’s Western CapeA terrestrial-to-fossorial species from semi-...
22/09/2026

Harpactira marksi, Elizabethfontein baboon from South Africa’s Western Cape

A terrestrial-to-fossorial species from semi-arid scrub, Renosterveld and Fynbos, where it shelters beneath rocks and logs or disappears into a deep, silk-lined burrow

In captivity, this is a spider with strong opinions about interior design. Give it 5–20 cm of substrate, depending on whether you want a display animal or a committed burrower. The latter will cheerfully turn your carefully arranged enclosure into a hole with legs.

In short: a proper pet hole, occasionally attached to a very impressive baboon spider

https://eightleggedemporium.co.uk/

Poecilotheria ornataEndemic to the wet-zone rainforests of south-western and central Sri Lanka, this arboreal species is...
22/09/2026

Poecilotheria ornata

Endemic to the wet-zone rainforests of south-western and central Sri Lanka, this arboreal species is associated with tree hollows and bark splits, where it constructs asymmetric funnel webs

Its conservation status deserves serious attention. Poecilotheria ornata is listed under CITES Appendix II and is classed as Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Deforestation and illegal collection remain significant threats, which is why traceable, responsible sourcing matters. Supporting established captive lines helps keep further pressure away from wild populations

eightleggedemporium.co.uk

Ceratogyrus meridionalilsA fossorial harpactirine from south-eastern Africa, recorded in Malawi and Mozambique across se...
20/09/2026

Ceratogyrus meridionalils

A fossorial harpactirine from south-eastern Africa, recorded in Malawi and Mozambique across semi-arid to sub-humid savanna. In suitable sandy or loamy soil, this species constructs a deep, silk-lined burrow and may spend much of its time below the surface

Unlike most Ceratogyrus congeners, C. meridionalis lacks the foveal horn on the carapace that gives the genus its name

The adult female pictured was recently paired

https://eightleggedemporium.co.uk

Cyriocosmus leetzi: the Colombian dwarf tigerA New World dwarf species described in 1999, native to Colombia and Venezue...
19/09/2026

Cyriocosmus leetzi: the Colombian dwarf tiger

A New World dwarf species described in 1999, native to Colombia and Venezuela. Adults reach approximately 2 inches in diagonal leg span.

This is a reclusive, fossorial species that spends much of its time below the surface. It produces extensive silk-lined burrows and heavy webbing, often transforming the enclosure into a network of tunnels and retreats.

https://eightleggedemporium.co.uk/emporium

Some Lovley G pulchra slings added to the site, 2-3cm a little grown on.
10/09/2026

Some Lovley G pulchra slings added to the site, 2-3cm a little grown on.

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