---
title: "Desert Blonde Tarantula"
description: "Aphonopelma chalcodes — Insetos e aranhas. Aphonopelma chalcodes, commonly known as the western desert tarantula, desert blonde tarantula, Arizona blonde tarantula or Mexican blonde tarantula, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/desert-blonde-tarantula
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Desert Blonde Tarantula

> Aphonopelma chalcodes — Insetos e aranhas. Aphonopelma chalcodes, commonly known as the western desert tarantula, desert blonde tarantula, Arizona blonde tarantula or Mexican blonde tarantula, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae.

- Scientific name: *Aphonopelma chalcodes*
- Category: `insects` (Insetos e aranhas)
- Habitats: `desert` (Deserto)
- iNaturalist observations: 5739
- Wikidata: [Q137504](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137504)
- iNaturalist taxon: [180713](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/180713)

## Names

- en: Desert Blonde Tarantula
- es: Tarántula rubia del desierto de Norteamerica
- nl: Mexicaanse blonde vogelspin

## Countries with the most observations

US (4206), MX (169)

## Summary

Aphonopelma chalcodes, commonly known as the western desert tarantula, desert blonde tarantula, Arizona blonde tarantula or Mexican blonde tarantula, is a species of spider belonging to the family Theraphosidae. It has a limited distribution in the deserts of Arizona and adjacent parts of Mexico but can be very common within this range. The common name "blonde tarantula" refers to the carapace, which is densely covered in pale hairs, and contrasts strongly with the all-dark legs and abdomen. Additionally, these spiders have low toxicity, a long life expectancy, and several offspring.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphonopelma_chalcodes

## Photo

![Desert Blonde Tarantula](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/desert-blonde-tarantula/medium.jpg)

Photo: dbugs · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/134384251

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/desert-blonde-tarantula?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).