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Melopoeus longipes

🔤 Taxonomy

Melopoeus longipes is the current World Spider Catalog name for the Southeast Asian fossorial tarantula commonly traded as the Vietnamese tiger. Older care sheets, GBIF, and import labels may still use Cyriopagopus longipes or Haplopelma longipes.

Older names and combinations associated with the species include:

  • Haplopelma longipes
  • Cyriopagopus longipes

English common names used in the hobby:

  • Vietnamese tiger tarantula
  • Vietnam tiger

The generic limits around Cyriopagopus, Haplopelma, Melopoeus, and related Asian earth-tiger genera have been unstable in recent literature. Keep purchase records with the exact name used by the seller, but do not assume that a generic “Vietnam tiger” or “earth tiger” label identifies this species.

📌 Description

Melopoeus longipes is a large, fossorial Old World tarantula from mainland Southeast Asia. It is a display animal for keepers who want a deep-burrowing, heavily webbing Asian species rather than a visible handling pet.

Adults are usually around 13-16 cm legspan. Females can live many years if kept stable, while mature males are shorter-lived and often roam after maturity.

This species should be treated with the same caution as other Asian earth-tiger tarantulas: fast, defensive when trapped, capable of a painful bite, and poorly suited to casual maintenance. Its enclosure should be designed so the spider can retreat downward and the keeper does not need to force contact.

🌍 Distribution

World Spider Catalog distribution references place Melopoeus longipes in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. The species is associated with humid tropical and monsoon-influenced habitats where deep retreats buffer heat, moisture, and disturbance.

Captive care should focus on the microhabitat the spider actually uses:

  • deep, shape-holding substrate
  • a starter burrow or cork entrance
  • moderate moisture in the lower layers
  • fresh water
  • good ventilation above the substrate
  • very secure lid and service openings

The goal is not to keep the surface swampy. The spider should be able to choose a deeper, more humid layer while the surface remains clean and breathable.

Range map

⚖️ Legal status

No current CITES listing was found for Melopoeus longipes in the official CITES sources checked on 2026-06-03. No specific listing for the species was found in Annexes A-D of the EU wildlife trade regulations.

The species is not relevant to the Bern Convention because it is not native to Europe. Local rules on import, sale, transport, exhibition, breeding, and proof of legal origin may still apply.

Because Asian earth-tiger labels can be inconsistent, keep invoices, seller names, import or breeding notes, and photographs of the animal over time.

🤌 Husbandry

Keep Melopoeus longipes alone in a secure fossorial enclosure.

Spiderlings can be raised in smaller containers with enough depth to build a retreat. Do not place a tiny spiderling in an oversized enclosure where feeding and hydration become difficult. As the spider grows, increase enclosure depth and stability.

For adults, a practical setup is a deep terrestrial enclosure around 30 x 30 x 45 cm or similar, filled with 20-25 cm or more of compactable substrate. A cork bark piece, angled hide, or pre-made starter tunnel encourages the spider to build where maintenance is safer.

Useful priorities:

  • deep burrowing substrate
  • secure lid and small service gaps
  • water dish
  • ventilation above the soil line
  • no heavy rocks that can collapse
  • long tongs and catch cup ready before opening

💡 Lighting

No special lighting is required. Normal room light and a stable day-night rhythm are enough.

Bright lamps are usually counterproductive for fossorial tarantulas. They can overheat the surface, dry the upper substrate, and make the spider retreat deeper instead of becoming more visible.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for warm room temperatures:

  • Daytime: about 22-27°C
  • Night: about 20-23°C

If supplemental heat is needed, warm the room or one side of the enclosure with a thermostat-controlled method. Avoid heating from below, because a burrowing spider needs the deeper substrate to remain a safe retreat rather than the hottest point in the enclosure.

Do not chase high surface temperatures. Stable, moderate warmth is safer than a hot, dry top layer.

💧 Humidity and water

Provide a water dish for juveniles and adults. For very small spiderlings, carefully dampening one side of the enclosure may be more practical until a tiny dish can be used safely.

Keep the lower substrate lightly moist, not saturated. The top layer can dry somewhat between water additions. If the whole enclosure smells stale, grows mold quickly, or stays wet against the walls, ventilation and watering need adjustment.

During premolt, good hydration matters, but do not flood the burrow. A flooded retreat forces a defensive fossorial spider into the open and raises the risk of escape during maintenance.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

The most important decoration is substrate that holds a tunnel. Coconut fiber alone can work if packed correctly, but a soil/coco mix often holds structure better. Add leaf litter, cork, or bark pieces only if they cannot collapse into the burrow.

Keep vertical fall distance low above the active surface. In a deep fossorial enclosure, most of the height should be filled with substrate rather than empty air.

Place the water dish and service point away from the burrow entrance if possible. This lets you maintain the enclosure without pushing the spider to defend its tunnel.

🪳 Feeding

Melopoeus longipes is insectivorous. Suitable prey includes:

  • crickets
  • roaches
  • locusts where available
  • occasional mealworms or superworms in moderation

Spiderlings can be fed small prey every few days. Juveniles often feed well once or twice weekly. Adults usually do well on appropriately sized prey every 7-14 days, adjusted to abdomen size and molt cycle.

Drop prey near the burrow entrance rather than digging for the spider. Remove uneaten prey within 24 hours, and immediately if a molt is expected.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include collapsed burrows, substrate kept too dry for a moisture-dependent spider, stale wet substrate, escape during enclosure work, failed molts, and bite risk from forcing the animal out of its tunnel.

Warning signs include repeated surface wandering outside maturity, weak movement, a shrinking abdomen, sealed burrow plus ignored prey, mold inside the retreat, or the spider sitting exposed because the burrow has flooded.

If something looks wrong, check substrate structure, water access, and ventilation before rehousing. Unnecessary disturbance is often more dangerous than a simple husbandry correction.

📌 Conclusion

Melopoeus longipes is for keepers who are comfortable with hidden, defensive, moisture-dependent fossorial tarantulas. Success depends on deep substrate, secure openings, hydration, and patience; the spider should be allowed to live from its burrow rather than being forced into view.

📚 Sources and further reading