Taksinus

Taksinus bambus

Common Name

Thai Bamboo Spider / Thai Bamboo Earth Tiger / Bamboo Culm Tarantula

Origin

• Region: Northern Thailand

• Locality: Mae Tho area, Mueang Tak District, Tak Province

• Habitat type: Cool, humid mountain bamboo forests where dense stands of Gigantochloa bamboo are present

• Lifestyle

  • Type: Old World, primarily arboreal/crevice-dwelling

  • Microhabitat: Specialised bamboo dweller; in nature it lives inside hollow bamboo culms, using natural holes, cracks or broken branches as entrances, then lining the interior with silk.

  • In captivity it behaves like a fast, reclusive arboreal/obligate crevice species, often webbing deep inside cork or bamboo tubes.

• Adult Size

  • Leg span: ~10–15 cm / ~4–6 in as adults (most sources cluster around 10 cm body+legs, up to ~6 in for large females).

• Growth Rate

  • Growth: Medium – not as slow as some giants, but not an ultra-fast “rocket” species either. Slings and juveniles put on size steadily with regular feeding.

• Temperament

  • General disposition: Fast, defensive, typical high-strung Old World temperament.

  • Best suited for: Intermediate to advanced keepers – not recommended as a first tarantula.

  • Defence style: Prefers to bolt into its retreat; if pressed, will stand its ground with a threat posture and may strike. No urticating hairs (Old World).

Species History

Taksinus is a recently described genus of Old World tarantulas in the family Theraphosidae, established in 2022 by Thai arachnologists Chaowalit Songsangchote, Zongtum “JoCho” Sippawat, Wuttikrai Khaikaew and Narin Chomphuphuang. The genus is currently monotypic, containing a single species, Taksinus bambus, commonly known in the hobby as the Thai Bamboo Earth Tiger or Bamboo Culm Tarantula.

The story of Taksinus begins in the bamboo forests of Mae Tho, in Mueang Tak District, Tak Province, north-western Thailand. Local wildlife YouTuber JoCho Sippawat was the first to notice an unusual arboreal tarantula living inside the hollow chambers (culms) of large bamboo. His observations led to a collaboration with Thai researchers, who collected and studied the spiders and realized they represented not just a new species, but a completely new genus.

In 2022 the team formally described Taksinus bambus in the journal ZooKeys, highlighting it as the first known tarantula specialized to live exclusively inside bamboo culms. The genus name Taksinus honors King Taksin the Great of Thailand, and also references Tak Province, where the spiders were discovered. The specific name bambus reflects the species’ unique association with bamboo.

Morphologically, Taksinus differs from other closely related arboreal Asian genera (such as Citharognathus and Lampropelma) by the structure of the legs and reproductive organs—for example, the lack of thickened (incrassate) tibia and metatarsus IV, and the absence of certain dense hair brushes and male embolus swellings that those genera possess. These differences, together with its isolated mountain-bamboo habitat, justify its recognition as a distinct genus.

Today, Taksinus is known only from Thailand and remains a rare, locality-specific tarantula. Its discovery underscores how much diversity is still hidden in specialized microhabitats like bamboo forests—and why habitat conservation in these regions is so important.

Natural Habitat

Taksinus bambus is known only from northern Thailand, in the Mae Tho area of Mueang Tak District, Tak Province. Here it lives in cool, humid bamboo forests on mountainous slopes, where dense stands of tall bamboo dominate the understory.

In the wild this species is a strict bamboo specialist. It doesn’t dig burrows or live under logs like many tarantulas; instead, it occupies natural hollows inside mature Asian bamboo (genus Gigantochloa). The spiders use pre-existing cracks, insect holes, or broken branch stubs as entrances, then line the inside of the culm with silk to create a tubular retreat. Entrance holes are usually small (around 2–3 cm) but can extend into larger fissures, all webbed over for protection.

This microhabitat provides a stable, shaded environment with high humidity and good airflow, protected from heavy monsoon rains and predators—essentially a natural “bamboo burrow” suspended above the forest floor. As far as is known, Taksinus bambus is the only tarantula whose life history is tied so tightly to bamboo stems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7NsgZvnbBs

Our Specimen:

Given name: Tani

Sex: Female

Life stage: sub-adult

• Relatively new addition to our collection

• Approximately 4 inches

• Makes use of her pseudo-bamboo laden enclosure

• We had a male who recently passed; we did not get a chance to attempt a copulation