Heteroscodra

Heteroscodra is a small genus of arboreal tarantulas from West and Central Africa, currently placed in the family Theraphosidae and subfamily Stromatopelminae. It was established by British arachnologist Reginald Innes Pocock around 1900, with Heteroscodra maculata designated as the type species.

Pocock based the genus on a female spider from West Africa that had been kept in the London Zoo’s insect house under the name Scodra calceata (now Stromatopelma calceatum). Noting clear differences in the leg structure and overall build, he concluded that the animal represented not only a new species but a lineage distinct enough to warrant its own genus, which he named Heteroscodra (“different Scodra”).

In the early 1900s additional species and subspecies were described, such as H. crassipes and forms later treated as synonyms or transferred to closely related genera like Stromatopelma (e.g., H. pachypoda). Modern catalogues now recognize just two valid species: H. maculata and H. crassipes. A key feature separating Heteroscodra from its relatives is the enlarged fourth leg (femur IV), along with its highly arboreal lifestyle in tree holes and crevices of humid African forests.

Like many Old World arboreal tarantulas, Heteroscodra species are fast, defensive, and equipped with strong venom, which has made them iconic “look-but-don’t-touch” spiders in the hobby. Of the genus, H. maculata (“Togo Starburst Baboon”) is by far the most commonly kept and is largely responsible for bringing Heteroscodra to the attention of modern enthusiasts.