Orphnaecus philippinus
Orphnaecus • Theraphosidae
The Philippine Tangerine is a bright orange Old World burrower from the Philippines. Names are in flux: it was described as Selenobrachys philippinus, moved to Orphnaecus in 2012, and a 2025 paper revalidated Selenobrachys, so you will see all three in the hobby and literature. It is an obligate burrower that wants deep substrate, so fill the enclosure well over halfway and give it webbing anchors. Keep the substrate slightly moist but not swampy, with a water dish and a moisture gradient, at about 70 to 78 F and 50 to 60 percent humidity per one care sheet. Keepers call it shy and skittish rather than aggressive, but it is extremely fast and bites if provoked. Sources disagree on adult size and growth speed, and one rates its venom strong, so treat it as an advanced, hands-off species. It has no urticating hairs, so speed and venom are its defenses.
Temperature
70-78°F
Humidity
50-60%
Prey size: Appropriately sized crickets or roaches; fruit flies or tiny roach nymphs for slings
Type
fossorial (obligate burrower)
Adult Size
5-6 in leg span
Growth Rate
medium to fast
Native Region
Philippines
Temperament
Very fast, shy and defensive; will bite if provoked; do not handle
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