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FAMILY SPARASSIDAE
- This page contains pictures and information about Brown Huntsman Spiders that we
found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia. Heteropoda jugulans
and H. cervina are very similar appearance and we may have
mixed them up in this page.
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 - Leg to leg 70mm
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- The Spiders are brown in colour, with
mottled pattern on flattened body. Their crab-like legs are long and enable them
to move sideway. In Brisbane we easily found them at night waiting for prey
on wall in backyards during summer season.
Sometimes they came indoors and wander around on our walls and ceilings. As all other
Huntsmen, this Brown Huntsman walk in any
direction, forward, backward and sideway, and very fast.
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- Brown Huntsman Spiders do not build webs but hunts on the ground and tree
trunk.. The spiders hide under bark or cracks during day time, active at
night. Instead of chasing prey, the spiders usually wait at the spots where
insects will come by. It is believe
that the coming and going of insects put down scent trails that the spider can pick up. We took the above two pictures within two days in the same
spot. It was early summer at night in our back yard. This spider had been waiting in the same spot for many days. The above
second photo shows the spider finally caught its prey.
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- Their body and hairy legs are brown in colour. They are well camouflage and
not easily noticed when they are waiting prey on the tree trunk. Notice the 'X' mark on
carapace.
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- We found that their most favourite prey were cockroaches. Their
body and legs are flattened so that they can fit into the cracks. Cockroaches
evolved the flat body to hide into the cracks as well. Huntsman Spiders evolved the flat
body to hunt for them.
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- The Spiders have eight small eyes, two rows of four across the front of their
thorax.
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 - Leg to leg 20mm
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- Pictures were taken in Botanic Garden on Sep 2007. Look like a young one
of this species.
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- Found the above Huntsman in Ford road Conservation Area on Feb 2011. We
turned over a rotten log and saw this spider. Together we also found a
small snake.
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- Reference:
- 1. Australian Spiders in colour - Ramon Mascord, Reed Books Pty Ltd,
1970, p32.
- 2. Wildlife
of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum 1995, p27.
- 3. Huntsman
Heteropoda cervina - The Find-a-spider Guide for Australian
Spiders, University of Southern Queensland, 2009.
- 4. Huntsman
Heteropoda jugulans - The Find-a-spider Guide for Australian
Spiders, University of Southern Queensland, 2009.
- 5. Heteropoda cervina
(Brown Huntsman)
- Save Our Waterways Now.
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[ Up ] [ Brown Huntsman 1 ] [ Brown Huntsman 2 ] [ Bark Huntsman Spider ] [ Giant Grey Huntsman Spider ] [ Giant Green Huntsman Spider ] [ Mountain Huntsman Spider ] [ Shield Huntsman Spider 1 ] [ Shield Huntsman Spider 2 ] [ Flat Huntsman Spider ] | |
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