Mexican redleg tarantula  (Brachypelma emilia)

The Mexican redleg tarantula is listed on Appendix II of CITES (1).

This pale pinkish-brown bodied tarantula has a black head and black legs, with distinctive red hairs on the middle part of the legs (2) (3). These long pinkish-brown hairs are sensitive to touch and vibrations. Males and females are similar in colouration and size but males are darker with a metallic sheen (2).

Found in Durango State, Mexico (2).

This burrowing species inhabits scrubland with sparse, low vegetation (2).

Twelve weeks after mating, the female produces an egg sac which is incubated for a further five to six weeks at 24 – 27 ºC before the spiderlings hatch (2). One of the longest living tarantula species with females living 20-30 years in captivity (3).

The Mexican redleg tarantula is presumed to be threatened by capture for the pet trade (2).

The listing of this species on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species prevents any unlicensed international trade of either live specimens or body parts (1). However, this does not prevent internal trade within Mexico.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

For further information on the Mexican redleg spider see:

Baxter, R.N. (1993) Keeping and breeding tarantulas. Chudleigh Publishing, Ilford, Essex.