Lasiodorides

Dominik Alexander
Nov 15, 2025
3 min read

Lasiodorides is a small genus of New World tarantulas from the Andes of Peru and Ecuador. It was formally established in 1997 by German arachnologists Günter Schmidt and B. Bischoff, who created the genus for their newly described species Lasiodorides polycuspulatus and designated it as the type species.

Shortly afterward, an earlier Peruvian species described in 1996 as Oligoxystre striatum was transferred into the new genus as Lasiodorides striatus, giving the group its two currently recognized species. Modern taxonomic work has since cleaned up the genus, synonymizing several later names (such as L. rolinae and L. remotus) with L. polycuspulatus and moving L. longicolli to the related genus Warmiru, leaving Lasiodorides polycuspulatus and Lasiodorides striatus as the accepted species today.

Found in highland habitats of the central Andes, Lasiodorides belongs to the subfamily Theraphosinae and is known in the hobby for hardy, medium–large terrestrial spiders with calm to moderate temperaments and attractive leg striping or blonde coloration, depending on the species.

Lasiodorides polycuspulatus

Common name: Peruvian Blonde / Peruvian Giant Blonde

Origin: Northeastern/central Peru; South American New World species.

Lifestyle: Terrestrial, burrow-using ground dweller that typically lives in dry to semi-humid forested habitats. In nature it shelters in burrows or retreats; in captivity many individuals sit out in the open once settled.

Adult size: Females usually reach about 5–6" (12–15 cm) leg span, with males a bit smaller and more slender.

Growth rate: Slow-growing for a New World terrestrial; expect a steady, gradual pace from sling to adult.

Temperament: Generally calm and docile, with low defensiveness but some nervousness/skittishness if startled; typical New World behavior with preference for retreat and kicking hairs over biting.

Color & appearance: A chunky, heavy-bodied tarantula with a coppery tan to blonde carapace and leg segments over a darker, almost black base, often with lighter “blonde” bands on the legs and contrasting mahogany urticating hairs on the abdomen. Overall it reads as a soft blond/brown spider with dark underlying tones, especially striking under good lighting.

Species history

Lasiodorides polycuspulatus was described in 1997 by Günter Schmidt and B. Bischoff, who introduced both the species and its genus in the same paper and designated it as the type species of Lasiodorides. The original material came from Peru, where this species is native to mid–high elevation habitats in the Andean region.

In the years that followed, additional names were proposed for similar spiders, including Lasiodorides rolinae in 1999, but modern taxonomic work has since shown these to be the same species, leaving L. polycuspulatus as the valid name. A 2021 revision by Sherwood and co-authors redescribed the species, clarified its diagnostic features, and formally treated L. rolinae as a junior synonym, helping stabilize the genus as a whole.

In the hobby, L. polycuspulatus is best known as the “Peruvian Blonde” or “Peruvian Giant Blonde,” a hardy New World terrestrial with a light golden to copper carapace, darker legs, and a calm, slow-growing nature. Females typically reach around 5–6" (12–15 cm) in leg span and, while still relatively uncommon in collections, are increasingly appreciated as a gentle, display-worthy tarantula.

Natural habitat

Lasiodorides polycuspulatus (“Peruvian Blonde”) is a ground-dwelling tarantula from the drier forested regions of northeastern Peru, with records also extending into similar habitats in neighboring Ecuador. These are warm, seasonally dry New World forests and woodland edges rather than rainforest, with a mix of leaf litter, roots, and fallen logs on the forest floor.

In the wild this species lives at ground level in burrows or retreats under wood and rocks, spending most of the day hidden and emerging mainly at night to hunt. Field- and hobby observations describe it as a secretive spider that is “rarely visible,” which fits its largely nocturnal, sit-and-wait lifestyle. Temperatures in its native range are warm (roughly mid-70s to low-80s °F / mid-20s °C), with moderate humidity but generally well-drained, not swampy soil—conditions reflected in published husbandry guidelines that recommend a mostly dry substrate with only light to moderate moisture.

Specimen Notes:

Given name: Latte

Sex: Undetermined

Life stage: sub-adult