Haplocosmia himalayana
{{Short description|Species of Spider}}
{{Speciesbox
| genus = Haplocosmia
| species = himalayana
| authority = Pocock, 1899
}}
Haplocosmia himalayana is a tarantula also known as the Himalayan banded earthtiger or the Himalayan purple-banded earth tiger tarantula.{{Catalogue of Life
|id=3JMBM
|title=Haplocosmia himalayana (Pocock, 1899)
|option=
|access-date= 12 December 2022
}} It was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1899, and as its common name implies, it is found in the Himalayas. This species has also been suggested as a pest controller,{{Cite web |last=Husain |first=Akhlaq |date=2020 |title=New Record of Himalayan Earth Tiger Tarantula Haplocosmia himalayana (Pocock, 1899) (Arachnida : Araneae : Theraphosidae) from Rajpur, Dehra Dun (Uttarakhand) with its Taxo-morphology, Distribution and Pest Controlling |url=https://www.researchtrend.net/ijtas/pdf/4%20New%20Record%20of%20Himalayan%20Earth%20Tiger%20Tarantula%20Haplocosmia%20himalayana%20_Pocock,%201899_%20_Arachnida%20%20Araneae%20%20Theraphosidae_%20from%20Rajpur,%20Dehra%20Dun%20_Uttarakhand_%20with%20its%20Taxo-morphology,%20Distribution%20and%20Pest%20Controlli.pdf |access-date=December 11, 2022 |website=Research Trend}}
Description
Males of this species can live up to 5 years and females up to 15 years. Females may grow up to 13 cm, while males only reach up to 6 cm. Both sexes have a light brown, grayish carapace and opisthosoma, with legs that are mostly dark brown with a tan patella.
Distribution
The species is found in the southern edge of the Himalayan foothills, in southern foothill of Nepal, e g. Chitwan, regions in India e.g. around the Dehradun district, a region of temperate climate with cold winters. It appears to prefer a temperature range of {{convert|23|-|28|C|F}} and 65% of humidity.