Genus Iridopelma

Brazilian arboreals, small, and closely tied to the Avicularia cluster in both appearance and husbandry. I. hirsutum and I. zorodes are the names that circulate.

Under four inches, arboreal, and requiring the same thing every animal in this group requires and that keepers keep failing to provide: cross ventilation rather than sealed humidity. Attractive without being spectacular, calm without being handleable.

Brazilian export is closed, so the market runs entirely on captive lines, and production is modest because sac sizes are small. Prices sit above what the size suggests and stay there. This is a genus where scarcity is structural rather than cyclical, so waiting for a price drop is usually waiting for nothing.