Mexican Red Rump Tarantula (Tliltocatl vagans)

The Mexican red-rump tarantula, Tliltocatl vagans, is generally considered a hardy and relatively calm terrestrial species suitable for intermediate-level keepers, and some keepers recommend it for motivated beginners. Like all New World tarantulas, it possesses urticating hairs that it can kick from its abdomen when disturbed.

Adult female Mexican red-rump tarantulas typically reach a leg span of around 5 to 6 inches (approximately 13 to 15 cm). Males are smaller and more slender, and females generally live significantly longer, often over a decade in captivity.

In 2019, taxonomists split the large genus Brachypelma based on molecular and morphological analysis, moving several species including Tliltocatl vagans into the newly erected genus Tliltocatl. The name Tliltocatl comes from Nahuatl, reflecting the spider's Mexican origins.

Tliltocatl vagans is native to Mexico and parts of Central America, where it inhabits tropical scrubland and forest-edge environments. It is a terrestrial, burrowing species that digs or adapts burrows in the ground for shelter.