The Selenops family has only one member, Selenops australiensis. This is a relative small spider, about 8 mm long, with a different eye-setting; a row with six eyes on top and two on the second row.
The Heteropodidae are also incorrectly known as 'tarantulas' or 'giant crab spiders'. Tarantulas is a name given to the large and hairy spiders belonging to the families Ctenizidae, Dipluridae and Theraphosodae.
One of the largest spiders found in Australia with a legspan up to 160 mm! The
family contains 13 genera and 94 descibed species.
They have a flattened body, which allow them to find shelter between loosened
bark. They have eight eyes set in two rows of four. All huntsman are nocturnal. At the start of the evening the spiders leave theit hiding places and wander aroundsearching for prey. When found, they kill the victim with a bite from its strong, curved fangs.
Because a spider has to change their skin, the skin of these giants can be found
hanging on trees or wires.
Huntsman are widely spread in large numbers throughout the country and may find
shelter at your home.
And .... sit on the toilet roll.
Genus Neosparassus formerly Olios
25 species are known in this genus. They are also called badge huntsman.
Neosparassus salacius male
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Neosparassus salacius female
Neosparassus salacius male
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| Neosparassus ZZ154 |
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| Neosparassus_sp. ZZ278 | Neosparassus_sp. ZZ278 |
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| Neosparassus_sp. ZZ280 | Neosparassus_sp. ZZ280 |
Genus Delena
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| Delena cancarides | Delena cancarides |
Delena cancarides has been reported as being a social spider. A social spider is defined as a "cooperation among mutually tolerant individuals. About 20 spider species has been descibed as social. They fulfill the main criterion of sociality; cooperation in prey capture and in brood care.
This is also the spider that featured in the movie Arachnophobia. The spider was imported from New Zealand, where it lives around Avondale, because Australian regulations prohibited their export from there.
(This message was originally sent to the Arachnology Mailing List by David Rowell) Delena cancerides (Sparassidae, or Heteropodidae if you like) is found pretty much all over Australia, wherever there are suitable trees. It is the only social sparassid reported, and can live in colonies of up to 300 spiders under bark. Adult females can have a leg spread exceeding 14cm. Delena cancerides has been well characterised chromosomally and allozymically, and is particularly unusual as it possesses a number of distinct chromosomal races that differ by carrying different combinations of chromosomal fusions. This is a useful marker as it has made it possible to determine from where in Australia New Zealand's "Avondale spider" originated. Several of the chromosomal races can hybridise and produce fertile offspring, resulting in distinctive hybrid zones. In the best studied of these, animals can have anything from 22 to 43 chromosomes and produce viable sperm. I have students currently studying the social behaviour of this species as it is particularly unusual. It is one of only 2 social spiders reported which do not build a web snare, and it shows marked intercolony aggression. Very little is known about its dispersal and mating system, however it is clearly outbreeding, as it is among the most allozymically polymorphic (and heterozygous) of all spiders - in contrast to other social spiders, which tend to show very low heterozygosity levels. It's hard to understand how outbreeding is facilitated, given that colonies tend not to tolerate the presence of individuals from other colonies.
Genus Heteropoda
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Heteropoda jugulans
This spider is about 20 mm long and lives on or under bark from eucalypt
trees (or on keyboards).
Heteropoda sp. ZZ279
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| Heteropoda cervina or brown huntsman spider by ? |
Genus Holconia
Holconia immanis by Rob Girard.
This female spider can measure up to 45 mm and is one of the larger Australian
spiders. They live on eucalypt trees but also like to live in houses and sheds.
Genus Isopeda
Isopeda is distributed with 40 species Australia-wide. They are large flat spiders with legs up to 30 mm. They can often be seen in summer running over walls and ceiling during the nighttime. The young spiders move faster than the adults and are difficlt to catch.
Isopeda are distinctive, brown to grey spiders. the ceplalothorax (head-breast part) is rounded and the abomen more oval. The body is flat in side profile and adapted for living in narrow spaces under bark and other crevices. The spider is not aggressive.
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| Isopedella flavida | Isopedella flavida |
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| Isopeda vasta (by Colin Halliday) (QLD) | Isopeda vasta (by Colin Halliday) (QLD) |
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| Isopeda ZZ306 (WA) | Isopeda ZZ306 (WA) |
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This spider is also known as the banded huntsman spider. The male is 25-30 mm and the female 32-40 mm large. This species is one of the largest in its genus in Australia. |
| Isopeda insignis by Rosemary Robinson Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains. |
Genus pediana
Four species are described of this genus. The spider is rare and usually found near the base of trees.
Pediana regina
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| Huntsman ZZ281 | This spider, found in Carnavon park, was very large and fast. It is not a huntsman but resembles it much. It is a Gnaphosidae, genus Hemicloea. |
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| Huntsman ZZ147 | Huntsman ZZ147 |
Ed Nieuwenhuys, Ronald Loggen, Jurgen Otto, 5 November 2006
March 2005, April 2006
Copyright ã 1997-2006