African velvet spiders: dark, dense-bodied relatives of the ladybird spiders, without the famous red males but with the same durable, silk-heavy way of life.
They build thick retreats against bark and stone, sit tight, and live years, wanting dry setups with structure and minimal interference. Venom is unremarkable. The appeal is texture and permanence rather than activity: a velvet spider installation persists and thickens over time.
Southern African collection supplies a thin trade with soft species identification, and the genus sits in the shadow of Eresus the way unornamented relatives always sit behind famous ones. The keeping experience is close to identical; the price gap tracks the absence of a red male. For anyone drawn to the family's velvet solidity without paying for the beetle costume, this is where it sits.
The line on each tile: lowest ask per day.
Rarity BETA Rarity is supply, and only supply: the tier is how many sellers have ever carried a species, and for a single seller, how many separate listings. Price is not part of it, and neither is how recently it appeared. Tiers are given to tarantula species only.