Husbandry and Care of
Crassicrus lamanai
(Reichling and West, 1996)
I stumbled upon this species a few months ago being sold on a website as Citharacanthus livingstoni. As soon as I unpacked the spider, I immediately took notice of the thickened tibia on leg IV and thought, “This doesn’t look like pictures I’ve seen of C. livingstoni!”
Sure enough, it wasn’t C. livingstoni. After seeking advice from other hobbyists and doing some research, I came to find out that the spider I had purchased was C. lamanai, a somewhat newly described species from the lowlands of Belize.
One of the most noticeable features of C. lamanai is the thickened tibia on leg IV. This feature is very noticeable in females, but is less obvious in mature males. The genus name Crassicrus literally means “thick shin.”
Photos of leg IV:
Mature males of this species, which seem to be hard to come by in the hobby, do possess tibial spurs. Average size of females seems to be around 4”-5” and overall coloration is black and brown. Males are slightly smaller and overall coloration is black.
Adult Female:
Housing
In my experience, this species does very well with a basic terrestrial setup. Substrate should be slightly moist with a water dish and hide provided. Average room temperature (about 72F) is acceptable and no external heating sources are needed unless your room temperature is typically much lower. This species may burrow in captivity and enough substrate should be given in order to allow it to burrow if desired.
Temperament
Reports that I have read describe the temperament of this species in a range from “extremely docile” to “nervous and skittish,” comparing it to the temperament of Aphonopelma seemani. In my experience, this species has been somewhat docile and easy to maneuver. Pre-molt behavior was typically very lethargic
Unfortunately, there is little information available in the hobby about this interesting species. Most specimens in the US are wild-caught and female. Very few, if any, mature males are in the US. Hopefully breeding will be attempted in the near future and captive-bred specimens will be available. This species is often sold at exotics shows as "Belize Cinnamon Tarantula" or Citharacanthus livingstoni.