Scientific Name: Dolichothele diamantinensis

Common Name: Brazilian Blue Dwarf Beauty

Type: Terrestrial

Native Location: Brazil

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 3”  (7.5cm)

Growth Rate: Fast

Life Expectancy: Females 12-15 years / Males 3 years

Recommended Experience Level: Intermediate

The Dolichothele diamantinensis or Brazilian Blue Dwarf Beauty is sometimes described as a dwarf Green Bottle Blue. It may be smaller than the GBB, but it makes up for the lack of size with much brighter and more vibrant colors. Originally this species was described as Oligoxystre diamantinensis in 2009 and was introduced into the hobby in 2012. Being fairly new, there isn't a whole lot of information available online in regards to this particular species. This tarantula is endemic to the rocky savannas of south east Brazil. Though a lot of Brazilian species prefer a more humid environment being from the rain forests, this particular species is not as reliant on high humidity as was once thought. Though a lot of the first care sheets recommended damp substrate and higher humidity levels, over time and the experience of many tarantulas keepers, it was been discovered that you can keep them as adults very similarly to the GBB and will have no issues as long as you keep a water dish in the enclosure and keep it full. These are prolific webbers and will fill any enclosure with an elaborate maze of web tunnels, so it is beneficial to include plants, cork bark, and other decorations that are vertical in the enclosure for them to use as anchor points for their webbing. Being a dwarf species, they start off VERY tiny as slings, usually being sold around ⅛” 0.3cm but they do grow very fast. Most males mature within a year or so and females mature shortly after that. So they will be full size within 18 months, making them very fast growers. These tarantulas are also very quick, especially as spiderlings and will bolt so quickly it seems to almost teleport. So care should be taken anytime you remove the lid of their enclosure or are doing a rehouse as they can be a little bold and may make a run for it if they feel startled or threatened. Overall their temperament is best described as skittish. They aren't really a defensive specimen though they may give a threat pose when you are trying to move them during a rehouse and they feel they have no route of escape. Under normal circumstances they will just quickly dive into one of their many tunnels or hides and escape a perceived threat before showing any defensive behaviors. As the tarantula becomes older and larger, it becomes less and less skittish and makes a great display tarantula as an adult as it spends a lot of time just outside its web tunnels and has some of the most amazing colors of any tarantula out there. Another unique and amazing aspect of this species, and why it is a great tarantula to have in your collection, is that this species is one of the few New World tarantulas that does not have urticating hairs. So you don't have to worry about getting itchy after rehousing them or cleaning up their enclosure. That being said, it is not an ideal species to handle as they are small and very fast and could quickly bolt from your hands and even a drop from a small distance could prove fatal. 

   As far as the husbandry is concerned. I keep my spiderlings in a basic spiderling acrylic enclosure with more height than width. I fill the enclosure halfway with substrate and add a few slivers of cork bark or fake plants for them to use for webbing. I include a small water dish and overflow the water dish once every week or two. If i am not able to include a water dish, i carefully drip some water on their webbing twice a week. Though many care sheets claim this species needs to be kept on damp substrate, I find partially damp substrate to be adequate for this species and have had no issues. For the smaller spiderling, I will initially house them in a dram vile with a few air holes poked into the top with a thumb take for ventilation. Being that this species is so small as young slings and will climb all over its enclosure, it is imperative to make sure the air holes in the enclosure are not large enough for the sling to squeeze through. Many spiderlings of this size have escaped when keepers neglect to use an enclosure with air holes smaller than the tarantula.   For juveniles, I move them into my usual acrylic juvenile enclosures but choose ones that have more height as opposed to the square style enclosures. I again fill the enclosure up half way with substrate and provide plenty of branches, plants or pieces of cork bark for the tarantula to use to make its web tunnels. You still want to provide enough substrate because they will burrow down a little bit as well. Make sure to provide them with a water dish and don't let it dry out. I also overflow the water dish every week or so to ensure one corner of the enclosure has slightly damp substrate. And for adults, because they don't grow much larger than 3-4”, a 2.5 - 5 gallon enclosure is plenty of space for them. Personally I like to keep this species in the ZooMed arboreal creature enclosure as it provides enough ground space as well as a lot of height. I fill it up about ⅓ with substrate and provide a hide a lot of branches and plants for this species to web up. Typically they spend a lot of time at the mouth of their web tunnels but will also stretch out and relax in the open when I provide them a branch or cork bark leaned at an angle. I keep a water dish in the corner of the enclosure and over fill it every other week, allowing it to dry out completely before over flowing again. This species does very well at room temperature (between 68f-74f) though i do keep my slings in a spiderling nursery that is a little warmer (typically between 75f-78f) 

  This species is a great eater and rarely turns down a meal, but due to the fact they are a dwarf tarantula, they don't require as much food as larger tarantulas. 

I feed my spiderlings FFF or confused flour beetles or larvae. When they start to put on a little more size i begin feeding them pinhead crickets or roaches.. If the feeders I have available are more than 2/3rds the size of the sling, I will prekill the feeder by smashing its head and dropping it onto their webbing. These tarantulas will scavenge feed at this size, but usually the little bit of movement of the feeder falling on their web will be enough for them to dart out and take down the prey. I typically feed my slings every 3-4 days and wait 48 hours after a molt before attempting to feed them again. And always remove any uneaten prey within 24 hours. 

For Juveniles, I feed them 2-3 small crickets every 7-10 days based on the size of their abdomen. If the abdomen is looking small, I will feed them more crickets more often. As the abdomen begins to look more plump I begin cutting back the amount and frequency to keep them at a nice looking healthy size. I try not to overfeed my tarantulas because they will usually eat whatever I put in there right up until they are in premolt. I wait at least 4-5 days after a molt before attempting to feed again and make sure they appear to have hardened up so as not to stress them out or cause any harm.

And for my adults, I will feed 2-3 medium crickets every other week based on their abdomen size. Again, I will feed more often when they look thin and cut back on the amount and frequency as they become more plump. Personally my Brazilian Blue Dwarf seems to enjoy crickets, roaches, and meal worms with no discernible preference, though I have had issues with the roaches or worms burrowing into the substrate and hiding before the tarantula has a chance to find them. I usually attempt to drop the prey on their webbing or tong feed them when using worms or roaches. I usually opt to feed them crickets because i know they won't burrow and hide and will eventually crawl up a branch within striking distance of the tarantula. 

  This tarantula is by far one of the most beautiful species in the hobby but doesn't get shown a lot of love probably due to the fact it is a dwarf species and does not have the impressive size of other tarantulas. I have even overlooked adding this species to some of my own Top 10 Tarantula lists. Personally I struggle getting photos and video of this species because they can be skittish and photosensitive. They do not like bright lights and will usually dive into hiding anytime I attempt to take photos or record video. But when I am just hanging out and relaxing in my Tarantula Room, they are usually out on display and I am able to observe and appreciate their beauty as long as I do not disturb their enclosure. The fact that they are so brightly colored and maintain their vibrant colors for so long is really a major advantage to this t. Unlike the GBB and other brightly colored tarantulas that are very vibrant right after a molt and dull over time, the D. diamantinensis those gorgeous colors right up to their next molt with very little fading. This in conjunction with the lack of urticating hairs should really move this t to the top of everyone’s must have list even if it doesn't grow to an impressively large size. Since it can be skittish and bolt very quickly, it may not be best as your first tarantula, but after you have had a little experience and are use to rehousing and caring for a tarantula, this will be an excellent addition to your collection. They are not always a species that is readily available for purchase, so if you find them for sale, you may want to take advantage of the opportunity while you have it.