Lampropelma violaceopes
| Singapore blue | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Lampropelma |
| Species: | L. violaceopes |
| Binomial name | |
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Lampropelma violaceopes Abraham, 1924 |
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The Singapore blue (Lampropelma violaceopes) is a large, arboreal species of tarantula from Malaysia and Singapore. These spiders have been known to grow in excess of 9 inches (23 cm) across. The legs are an intense blue with a brown or gold carapace. The male is usually not as vibrant, the species exhibiting sexual dimorphism. The generic placement of the species has been questioned, and specimens identified as males of this species may actually be from a different species.
Lampropelma violaceopes was first described by H. C. Abraham in 1924, under the name Lampropelma violaceopedes. However, specific names under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature cannot be plural, so violaceopedes was corrected to violaceopes.
Relationships among a number of genera of East Asian spiders are unclear as of July 2016[update]. A. M. Smith and M. A. Jacobi in 2015 said that female specimens of Lampropelma violaceopes should be placed in the genus Omothymus, whereas male specimens are misidentified members of a different species, Cyriopagopus schioedtei. However, the name Lampropelma violaceopes for the female is accepted by the World Spider Catalog as of July 2016[update], with the comment that the transfer to Omothymus is "not sufficiently justified".
Diet consists primarily of beetles, cockroaches, crickets, young mice, birds and other small animals. During feeding, the abdomen (opisthosoma) will often increase its size two-fold.
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