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Identified tarantula
Hi Daniel and Lisa Ann,
I am hoping you guys will enjoy this picture of a Caribbean tarantula. I think it is Acanthoscurria antillensis Pocock, 1903. This one is 2 and a half inches in length, although apparently they can grow as large as 4 inches or so. We found it in May, 2006, up at about 1,000 feet, at night, after heavy rains, sitting on a flat stone in a path, on the island of Nevis, Leeward Islands, West Indies. The locals call it a "Donkey Spider", I suppose perhaps because it is fuzzy and colored rather like a donkey. This is my first ever tarantula encounter, and I have to say it seemed to be a calm and peaceful beastie. Best to you,
Susan J. Hewitt

Hi Susan,
Thanks for providing us with a great photo and identification. We are not prepared to challenge your identification. The Donkey Spider anecdote is fascinating.

Update: (02/05/2007)
About ‘Donkey Spider from West Indies’
Hi again Daniel and Lisa Ann,
I was interested to see the Giant Crab Spider or Banana Spider (Olios sp.) from St. Kitts; images which R. Fields sent in on 1/25/2007. I vacation on Nevis each year and St. Kitts is the sister island, only 2 miles away. English names are notoriously unreliable, but I believe that the creature which is usually referred to on St. Kitts and Nevis as the ‘Donkey Spider’ is the Antillean Tarantula, (Acanthoscurria antillensis), which is furry and colored like a donkey. The image of the one I found on Nevis is on your Spider Page 8, listed as ‘Caribbean Tarantula (10/05/2006)’ and described as a Donkey Spider. On the same page there is an image of what is probably the same species, ‘Tarantula from Dominican Republic (01/05/2007)’. I believe that on St. Kitts and Nevis, the giant crab spider (Olios sp. of the Sparassidae) is usually called a ‘Banana Spider’ or a “Yellow Spider”. Of course the two species are not at all closely related, but they are the two biggest spiders on those islands, they both only come out at night, and so I suppose some people might confuse them one with the other. They both can bite if you hassle them enough, but neither is dangerous to people. Best,
Susan J. Hewitt

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