Lampropelma

Lampropelma is a small genus of arboreal tarantulas in the subfamily Ornithoctoninae, native to the Indonesian island region of Southeast Asia. It was erected in 1892 by French arachnologist Eugène Simon for Lampropelma nigerrimum from Sulawesi, and has always been a geographically restricted, island-endemic group within the family Theraphosidae.

For many years, several striking Asian arboreal tarantulas – including the well-known “Singapore Blue” – were placed in Lampropelma, and the genus became something of a taxonomic catch-all alongside Omothymus, Cyriopagopus and Phormingochilus. A major revision of these arboreal genera in 2015 re-examined the type material and concluded that the famous “Lampropelma violaceopes” actually belongs in Omothymus, restricting “true” Lampropelma to Indonesian island populations.

Subsequent work by Gabriel & Sherwood (2019) transferred Phormingochilus carpenteri (and its junior synonym P. kirki) into Lampropelma, giving the genus its modern makeup. Today Lampropelma contains just two recognised species: L. nigerrimum (often called the Sangihe Black, from Sulawesi and the Sangihe Islands) and L. carpenteri from Sulawesi and Bornean localities.

Males of Lampropelma are distinguished from closely related genera by a characteristic apical swelling on the embolus of the palpal bulb, which then tapers back to a fine point, combined with the genus’ strictly Indonesian island distribution.

Lampropelma nigerrimum

• Common name: Sangihe Island Black (Sangihe Black Tarantula)

• Origin: Endemic to Indonesia, primarily Sangihe Island and nearby Sulawesi region

• Lifestyle: Old World arboreal tarantula; secretive, living in vertical retreats in trees and cork tubes

• Adult size: Around 7–8 in (18–20 cm) diagonal leg span, often listed in the 16–18 cm range

• Growth rate: Fast-growing; reaches adult size relatively quickly compared to many species

• Temperament: Defensive, very fast, and not for beginners; will readily bolt and may bite if provoked

• Color & appearance:

  • Uniform jet-black to glossy black body and legs

  • Females are chunky, with short, robust legs, dense femoral fringes, and a velvety look with subtle purple highlights on the femora and carapace under light

  • Lacks the typical “tiger” abdominal striping seen in related species; males show contrasting orange tones as juveniles before maturing

Species History

Lampropelma nigerrimum is an Old World arboreal tarantula from the Indonesian island of Sangihe and nearby Sulawesi. It was first described in 1892 by the French arachnologist Eugène Simon, who also established Lampropelma as a genus at the same time, making L. nigerrimum the type species.

For many years the species was known only from old museum material and was widely thought to be extinct in the wild. In 2007, however, collectors rediscovered it on Sangihe Island, confirming that a wild population still survives there.

The name L. nigerrimum became tangled in hobby and scientific literature when a very different, orange-fringed Bornean species was sold under the same name. Later work showed that this Bornean spider actually belongs in the genus Phormingochilus (now known as Phormingochilus arboricola), and even a supposed subspecies, Lampropelma nigerrimum arboricola, was formally transferred out of Lampropelma.

A major 2019 taxonomic revision of arboreal Ornithoctoninae clarified these issues and re-defined Lampropelma as a small Indonesian genus currently containing just two valid species: L. carpenteri and the true Sangihe Island Black, L. nigerrimum. Some authorities also recognize a subspecies, Lampropelma nigerrimum nigerrimum.

Timeline

• 1892 – Lampropelma nigerrimum described by Simon from Indonesian material; becomes the type species of the new genus Lampropelma.

• 20th century – Rarely collected; long assumed extinct in nature.

• 2007 – Rediscovered on Sangihe Island, Indonesia.

• 2010s – Hobby trade misapplies the name to a different Bornean species, later reassigned to Phormingochilus arboricola.

• 2019 – Gabriel & Sherwood publish a revision of arboreal Ornithoctoninae, confirming L. nigerrimum as a distinct Indonesian arboreal species and stabilizing the genus Lampropelma.

Natural Habitat

Lampropelma nigerrimum is an Old World arboreal tarantula found only on Sangihe, a small volcanic island in northern Indonesia. In the wild it lives in humid tropical rainforest, where temperatures sit in the mid-20s °C (high 70s–80s °F) year-round and humidity stays high under dense forest canopy.

This species spends most of its time off the ground, hiding in natural hollows, deep bark crevices and vertical cavities in tree trunks, where it lines its retreat with silk and waits to ambush passing insects. Like other arboreal “earth tiger” tarantulas from the Ornithoctoninae subfamily, it favors shaded, well-ventilated microhabitats with plenty of vertical structure and leaf litter, often near the bases of trees on steep, forested slopes.

Our Specimen

Given name: TBD

Sex: TBD

Life Stage: sling

• New addition to our collection