No zoo, study or veterinary source publishes a lifespan for the Brazilian jewel tarantula (Typhochlaena seladonia). Keeper reports range from about 2 years to 5–8 years for females (keeper anecdotes, Arachnoboards). As the closest sourced data, the calculator uses the pink toe (Avicularia avicularia, same subfamily): females 6–9 years, males 2–3. It is a very small tree-trapdoor species, listed as Endangered on Brazil's red list.
Brazilian jewel tarantula lifespan
We looked for a Brazilian jewel tarantula lifespan in zoo fact sheets, the scientific literature and veterinary sources, and found none. The species was only revived as a valid name in 2012 (Bertani 2012), it has a tiny natural range, and very few individuals have been studied. Anything you read with a precise figure is a guess or a keeper's experience.
The keeper experience itself is mixed. On Arachnoboards, one breeder reports that females may reach the end of their lives at only about two years in captivity, while other keepers expected 5–8 years or more (keeper anecdotes, not data). One keeper reports spiderlings reaching maturity in under a year and a half — a sign of quick growth, but again an anecdote.
What the calculator uses instead
Because the calculator needs numbers, it borrows the closest sourced data: the pink toe tarantula, Avicularia avicularia, which belongs to the same subfamily (Aviculariinae) and is also a tree-dweller (Bertani 2012; Fukushima & Bertani 2017). That gives 6–9 years for females and 2–3 for males (Stradling, via Wikipedia). Every result on this page is labelled as a pink toe proxy. If the keeper reports of two-year females are right, the real Typhochlaena seladonia lifespan could be shorter.
Female vs male Brazilian jewel tarantula lifespan
We have no measured male or female figures for this species, so the calculator shows the pink toe's 2–3 years for males and 6–9 for females, labelled as a proxy. What is known is how to tell the sexes apart. Bertani (2012) identifies females by their spermathecae, which are long, slender and spiralled at the tips, and males by a very long embolus on the palpal bulb.
One difference matters for sexing at home: Typhochlaena males lack tibial spurs (Bertani 2012), the hooks most mature male tarantulas use while mating. So a male Brazilian jewel shows his maturity through his palpal bulbs only. The male vs female tarantula checklist explains moult sexing step by step.
Brazilian jewel tarantula growth rate and size
The Brazilian jewel tarantula size is small by tarantula standards. Wikipedia gives adult males a body length of 9.5–12.5 mm and females up to 21 mm — body length, not leg span. Bertani's revision describes the whole genus as very small aviculariines, and suggests some juvenile-like features are kept into adulthood, in agreement with their small adult size.
The name comes from its colours. Bertani (2012) describes both sexes with a metallic green carapace and a black abdomen marked with two rows of six spots, the front pair reddish and the rest yellowish. In the wild, females have been found under loose tree bark, and one built a retreat from small pieces of bark in captivity (Bertani 2012, citing Almeida-Silva et al. 2008). Wikipedia describes the species as an arboreal trapdoor builder: it closes its bark crevice with a silk door and ambushes insects that land nearby.
| Age | Female: % used · stage · time left | Male (not yet mature) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 years | 7% · Sling (spiderling) · ~7 yrs left | 20% · ~2 yrs left |
| 1 year | 13% · Juvenile or adult · ~6.5 yrs left | 40% · ~1.5 yrs left |
| 2 years | 27% · Juvenile or adult · ~5.5 yrs left | 80% · ~0.5 yrs left |
| 4 years | 53% · Juvenile or adult · ~3.5 yrs left | 100% · past the male average |
| 6 years | 80% · Juvenile or adult · ~1.5 yrs left | 100% · past the male average |
Proxy figures: the pink toe's 6–9 and 2–3 years, not measured Brazilian jewel data.
Care that helps a Brazilian jewel tarantula live longer
Reliable Brazilian jewel tarantula care data are thin, so we list only what sources support, and we don't quote humidity or temperature numbers that no zoo, study or vet source gives.
- Bark to build in: the species lives in crevices in tree bark in the humid forest of north-eastern Brazil and builds trapdoors (Wikipedia; Bertani 2012). Give vertical cork bark it can web against.
- Small, frequent prey: Wikipedia's care notes suggest flightless fruit flies or small pre-killed insects for slings twice a week, juveniles every 7–10 days and adults every 2–3 weeks as needed.
- Wait after a moult: the same notes suggest feeding 24–48 hours after a moult for slings, 3–7 days for juveniles and 5–10 days for adults.
- Moving air: as for its relative the pink toe, stale, wet air is a known danger for tree-dwelling aviculariines (Wikipedia, on Avicularia).
- Captive-bred only: see the legal note below.
Like its relatives it has type II urticating hairs, which work by contact (Bertani 2012). It is a fragile, secretive spider best observed rather than handled. For a moult problem or injury, ask an exotic vet who treats invertebrates.
Protected status and the pet trade
The Brazilian jewel is listed as Endangered on Brazil's national red list (ICMBio 2018, reported by Fukushima, Cardoso & Bertani 2020). Brazilian law bars collecting, keeping, transporting and exporting native wildlife except in special cases, yet the authors report that tarantulas are regularly smuggled out to supply the pet trade, and that the US Fish and Wildlife Service applied the Lacey Act to a shipment of this species. If you keep one, buy only documented captive-bred spiders from a breeder who can show their origin.
Which tarantula is the 'Brazilian jewel'?
"Brazilian jewel tarantula" refers to Typhochlaena seladonia (Wikipedia; The Tarantula Collective's care sheet uses the same name). The species was first described by C. L. Koch in 1841 and was for a long time lumped into Avicularia. Bertani's 2012 revision restored the genus Typhochlaena, restored T. seladonia and described four new species: T. amma, T. costae, T. curumim and T. paschoali. It places T. seladonia in the states of Sergipe and north-eastern Bahia, in Brazil's Atlantic Forest.
Are other species sold under the name? The other four Typhochlaena are similar small, colourful tree-trapdoor spiders, and Fukushima, Cardoso and Bertani (2020) report that the genus as a whole is now popular and requested in the pet trade; T. curumim is classed as Critically Endangered. We found no reliable source applying the "Brazilian jewel" name to a different species, but because the genus looks alike, buy from sellers who give the scientific name. One low-quality website applies the name to the Antilles pink toe (Caribena versicolor); we found nothing to support that.
No lifespan data exist for any Typhochlaena species, which is why the calculator falls back on the pink toe rather than a genus figure.
How this Brazilian jewel tarantula calculator works
The calculator reads the Brazilian jewel's row in the shared tarantula table. That row deliberately repeats the pink toe's figures — females 6–9 years (average 7.5), males 2–3 (average 2.5) — and is flagged as a proxy, so every result says so. Everything else works as on the other species pages: percentage used is age divided by the average, and a male marked as matured switches to the general 1–2 year post-maturity range (Criscuolo et al. 2010).
If a study or zoo ever publishes a lifespan for T. seladonia, only that one row needs to change, and this page, the main tarantula lifespan calculator and the male maturity timeline will all update together.
Frequently asked questions
How long do Brazilian jewel tarantulas live?
No zoo, study or vet source gives a figure. Keeper reports range from about 2 to 5–8 years for females. The calculator uses the related pink toe (females 6–9 years, males 2–3) as the closest sourced data.
What species is the Brazilian jewel tarantula?
Typhochlaena seladonia, a small tree-trapdoor tarantula from Sergipe and north-eastern Bahia in Brazil (Bertani 2012).
How big is a Brazilian jewel tarantula?
Small: males have a body length of 9.5–12.5 mm and females up to 21 mm (Wikipedia).
Why is it called the Brazilian jewel?
For its colours: a metallic green carapace and a black abdomen with rows of reddish and yellowish spots (Bertani 2012).
Is the Brazilian jewel tarantula endangered?
It is listed as Endangered on Brazil's national red list (ICMBio 2018), and Brazilian law bars its collection and export (Fukushima, Cardoso & Bertani 2020).
Do Brazilian jewel tarantulas have tibial hooks?
No. Typhochlaena males lack tibial spurs (Bertani 2012), so check palpal bulbs or a moult instead.
What do Brazilian jewel tarantulas eat?
Small insects. Wikipedia's care notes suggest flightless fruit flies or small pre-killed insects for slings, and crickets or roaches sized to larger spiders.
Is Typhochlaena seladonia a beginner tarantula?
A hobby care sheet describes it as fragile and not recommended for beginners (Fear Not Tarantulas), and its legal status means you should only buy documented captive-bred animals.
General information only — no medication advice. For a stuck moult or injury, see an exotic vet who treats invertebrates.