Thelechoris striatipes

Thelechoris striatipes – rare funnel web spider with fascinating web architecture

Thelechoris striatipes
is an African funnel web spider from the family Ischnothelidaewhich impresses with its conspicuous webbing behavior, its hidden lifestyle and its exciting web system. T. striatipes a real specialist for webs close to the groundwhich are often covered with substrate, leaves or pieces of bark.

In the terrarium, the species builds its characteristic funnel net as a young animal. funnel net – consisting of a tube-like retreat and a carpet-like web of threads radiating forwards. These nets also serve as protection, moulting area and hunting base.

During the growing phase, particular attention must be paid to the substrate moisture must be given special attention: The soil substrate must be evenly slightly moistbut never be wet. Dehydration can be life-threatening for newly hatched animals. From a body size of about 10 mm the conditions may be somewhat drier natural humidity and occasional spraying are then sufficient to maintain a stable microclimate.

For permanent keeping, we recommend a terrarium with the minimum dimensions of 20 × 20 × 20 cm. The tank should be well ventilated and offer sufficient structure: Cork tubes, bark, coarse pieces of bark and plenty of burrowable substrate encourage net building and provide places of retreat. The temperature should be between 22 and 26 °C with a slight drop at night.

Under terrarium conditions Thelechoris striatipes is calm and not very aggressive. Group keeping is also possible to a limited extenthowever, the prerequisite for this is a constant food flowsufficient space and plenty of hiding places to avoid stress and cannibalism. Particularly with good structure, the animals spread out into their own webs, which allows them to live side by side – but this cannot be guaranteed.

Small crickets, cockroaches or fruit flies are suitable food, depending on their stage of development. The animals are ambush hunters – quick movements on the web trigger the capture of prey in a flash.

Thelechoris striatipes
is a special funnel web spider with natural behavior, exciting web architecture and a calm temperament. It is a real enrichment, especially for enthusiasts of less active but easily observable species – whether as an individual or in experimental group housing.