Thrixopelma is a small genus of South American tarantulas first established in 1994 by German arachnologist Günter Schmidt, based on the striking Peruvian species Thrixopelma ockerti (“Peruvian flame rump”). These are medium-to-large New World tarantulas (roughly 35–60 mm body length) with robust builds and powerful urticating hairs, found mainly in Andean and foothill habitats of Peru and Ecuador.
For many years, Thrixopelma was something of a “catch-all” for several Andean terrestrials and semi-arboreals. By 2022 the genus held eight species spread across Peru, Ecuador and Chile, and there was long-standing confusion with the closely related genus Lasiodorides. In 2021, Sherwood and colleagues published a major revision that re-diagnosed both genera and clarified which spiders genuinely belong in Thrixopelma, helping to “stabilize a chaotic taxonomy.”
Very recent work has reshaped the genus again. In 2024 a new Peruvian species, Thrixopelma choquequirao, was described from the Cusco region, and in 2025 two Ecuadorian species, T. supay and T. michaeli, were added. At the same time, most of the “classic” Thrixopelma species familiar to hobbyists—such as T. cyaneolum, T. pruriens, T. lagunas, T. aymara and others—have been moved into newly defined genera like Ewok, Warmiru and Crypticarachne in the World Spider Catalog.
As of 2025, Thrixopelma is a much more tightly defined genus, currently containing just four officially recognized species: T. ockerti (Peru), T. choquequirao (Peru), T. supay (Ecuador) and T. michaeli (Ecuador). In the pet trade, however, many animals are still sold under their traditional “Thrixopelma” names, so keepers will often encounter the older usage even though the formal taxonomy has moved on.
