''Davus fasciatus'', commonly known as the Costa Rican tiger rump, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of a new-world

tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...

native to

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

. This is a terrestrial species with a maximum legspan of , which makes it a rather small tarantula species, yet it is one of the largest of its genus.

As pets

There is another species in the hobby often mis-sold under this name. Those as pets may be kept in terrariums. They require a 10-gallon to 15 gallon enclosure as adults and juveniles can be kept in much smaller containers like critter keepers or deli cups. Substrate should be 4 to 6 inches of a mixture of dryish soil/peat/etc. They should be kept around room temperature or slightly higher. Humidity should be low, although helpful to have a water source available or mist on occasion.

Feeding

Generally, in captivity, the species often sold as ''D. fasciatus'' or the

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Cyclostermum fasciatum'' feed upon a variety of pesticide-free insects such as locusts, crickets and cockroaches. Spiderlings can be fed small 'pinhead' crickets, or scavenge the bodies of pre-killed crickets.

Reproduction

Females possess spermathecaes and males possess tibial hooks on the front pair of legs. Gestation period is about 6 to 8 months. The female produces an egg sac which contains between 200 - 800 eggs about a month after mating.

References

* František Kovařík, ''Chov sklípkanů'' (''Keeping tarantulas''), Jihlava 2001 * http://care-sheet.com/index/Cyclosternum_fasciatum

Gallery

File:Cyclosternum_fasciatum,_adult_female_05.JPG File:Cyclosternum fasciatum, adult female 06.JPG Theraphosidae Spiders of Central America Spiders described in 1892 {{Theraphosidae-stub