Guatemalan Tiger Rump Spider Davus pentaloris

The Guatemalan Tiger Rump Spider or Tarantula is native to southern Mexico and Guatemala.

Females grow to 4 inches (10cm) long and can live for 10-11 years. Males live for up to 3 years.

The usual colours and patterns are black or dark brown stripes on an orange background but there are several variations.

They live in thick webs. Their venom is unlikely to kill a human.

The Costa Rican Tiger Rump, D. fasciatus, looks similar and has similar habits. There are 2 other species of tiger rump tarantulas in the Davus genus, all native to Central America. Given the variation, particularly of the Guatemalan, and following DNA analysis, it is suspected some more may be split out to species status.