Eresus moravicus (Gold-faced ladybird spider)

Eresus moravicus

Origin: Found in Central & Eastern Europe — including Austria, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and the Balkans. 

Size: Females: body length ~5.9 – 9.9 mm. 

Males: body length ~3.5 – 5.6 mm. 

Lifespan: Exact data for E. moravicus is scarce, but velvet spiders in this genus generally live multiple years for females, though likely less than typical large tarantulas.

Lifestyle: Fossorial to semi-burrowing. They inhabit dry, open rocky steppes and sandy soils with grassland patches. 

They build tube-like retreats (burrows) in soil/rock crevices, often with silk linings. 

Appearance: Males: distinctive with red opisthosoma (abdomen) bearing 2 (rarely 3) pairs of black spots bordered with white hairs; legs and body have red and orange hairs on certain segments. 

Females: much darker overall, mostly black or dark with orange hairs on the cephalic part of the prosoma (especially around median eyes). 

Temperament: Generally not aggressive; typical for many small velvet spiders.

As with any spider, avoid undue disturbance especially during molting or when in retreat — these species can be more vulnerable.

Note: Because of their small size and delicate habitat needs, they require careful handling of their environment (though handling the spider itself is not recommended).

Care & Habitat:

Mimic dry, warm, well-ventilated habitats reflective of rocky steppes and open terrain.

They do not thrive in high-humidity, closed, damp setups. In fact, excessive moisture is cited as detrimental. 

Provide retreats, substrate for burrowing/tunneling, and minimal disturbance.

Enclosure:

A small terrestrial enclosure suffices (since they are not large or highly active arboreal species).

Depth of substrate should permit a burrow or tunnel (≈ few cm).

Good ventilation is essential to prevent moisture build-up and reduce risk of mould or stress.

A hide (rock crevice, cork bark involved as retreat) should be included.

Size: For a single specimen, something like 20 × 20 × 20 cm or similarly small-scale is adequate given their size.

Substrate:

Use a well-draining dry soil/sand mix, maybe a sandy loam or rock-soil base with minimal moisture.

Avoid making it too damp; one source for the genus notes “the substrate must be dry” for successful keeping. 

Provide a shallow layer (several centimeters) so the spider can dig/retreat but not excessive depth (they do not need large burrows like big tarantulas).