While this is currently their correct scientific name, it is well understood that they will eventually be formally changed to Phlogius. Spiders in this group live in burrows, but are opportunistic and will use spaces under logs and rocks in the wild to make their homes. In captivity they are quite happy to shelter beneath any secure object.
Selenotypus species and Selenotholus species. Selenotypus plumipes , known as the Featherleg Tarantula for the long hairs on its back legs.
They are from the dryer inland regions of Australia and in the wild live in burrows that protect them from extremes of temperature and dehydration. In captivity they will excavate a burrow into the substrate and may not be visible for long periods of time, depending on how you set up the enclosure. We have a pretty small population in Australia, and that means lower numbers of people interested in spiders though this number is growing , but the biggest difference is our access to tarantula variety.
An Australian Featherleg Tarantula Selenotypus species. One of many species available as pets. This question at least has a simple answer: none.
In Australia, we cannot import or keep exotic non-native tarantula species common to the overseas hobbies. This law is in place to protect invasive species taking hold in the same way as the beloved Cane Toad , or bringing in significant parasites or other pests.
Selenocosmia stirlingi is the most southerly reaching into north-western Victoria and widely distributed species. It spans the continent in habitats ranging from rainforest to desert but is not found in the northern tropics. The species that is most often kept as a pet is often sold as Selenocosmia crassipes. However, many of the large petshop spiders come from the north Queensland areas around Cairns and are incorrectly identified.
They are likely to be undescribed species of the Asian genus Phlogiellus. Selenocosmia crassipes has its main distribution further south in mid-east Queensland.
Selenotholus and Selenotypus are found in north-western Queensland and the Northern Territory respectively. Australian tarantulas rarely eat birds, despite often being called 'bird-eating spiders'. Occasionally, hatchlings may be taken from nests on the ground, however the spiders mainly eat insects, lizards, frogs, and other spiders. Selenocosmia stirlingi , like other theraphosid spiders, sometimes constructs a cradle or hammock of webbing on which the spider lies when moulting.
Moulting takes place with the spider lying on its back, and can take from under one hour in spiderlings up to several hours for large mature females. Growth depends on the availability of food and moisture, with tropical species generally reaching maturity more quickly and in fewer steps than species with less reliable food and water supplies.
Females continue to moult when sexually mature, while males will not moult again once mature. The whistling or humming noise is most readily produced when the spider is disturbed and takes up a threatening defensive pose - it may act as a deterrent against predators. The female lays about 50 eggs into a 30 mm diameter sac, which is stored in the burrow and protected by a tough cover of silk.
The spiderlings moult once within the egg sac before leaving it via a single hole. They will moult again before leaving their mother's nest as free-living individuals. Spiderlings have been observed feeding upon an insect provided by their mother, indicating some degree of maternal care in this species.
Females may live up to twelve years, but the males usually die after mating at around five years of age. Females tend to be larger than males. The female Australian tarantula spends most of her life in her burrow. During spring and early summer, males approach the females' burrows, enticing them out to mate at the entrance.
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