Huntsman spiders
Huntsman spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Section: Entelegynae Superfamily: Sparassoidea Family: Sparassidae Bertkau, 1872
Diversity
82 genera, 1009 species
Genera
Delena Heteropoda Holconia Isopeda Isopedella Leucorchestris Micrommata Neosparassus Olios Pediana Pseudopoda Thelcticopis Many others

A huntsman spider with its meal - a small beetle

Adult Huntsman spider on the underside of a log in Victoria, Australia

Huntsman spider is a common name given to the family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae). Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Arachnids are a class ( Arachnida) of joint-legged Invertebrate Animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings The Entelegynae are a subgroup of araneomorph spiders Almost all members of this group unlike most members of Haplogynae, have eight eyes and females have This page lists all described species of the spider family Sparassidae as of May 18 2008 Delena is a small Genus of spiders from Australia. Species Delena cancerides Walckenaer The Heteropoda are a Pantropical genus of spiders Leucorchestris is a genus of sparassid spiders from Namibia and Angola. Micrommata is a spider genus in the family Sparassidae with Palaearctic distribution Thelcticopis is a genus of huntsman spiders that occurs almost exclusively in the Australasian region from India to Japan to New Guinea In Biological classification, family ( Latin The larger specimens of these spiders are called Wood Spiders in most parts of Australia, due to their common preference for inhabiting woody places (forest, mine shafts, woodpiles).

These eight-eyed spiders are found in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, Florida, and Hawaii, and possibly in many other tropical and semi-tropical regions. Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The Tropics are centered on the Equator and limited in Latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately 23°26' (23 The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of They can be found as far north as England and Wales

Appearance

Often travel in pairs. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Become distressed and sometimes appear angry if their mate has been killed. While frequently very large – in Laos, Heteropoda maxima males can attain a legspan of 250–300 mm (9. Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma The Millimetre ( American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to 8–11. 8 in) – Huntsman spiders are not deadly to humans. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. They do bite if provoked, but the victim will suffer only minor swelling and localised pain, and will recover in a day or two. Some larger types resemble tarantulas, and may be mistaken for them, as the Huntsman is related (which is why the term "Australian tarantula" has sometimes been used to describe them by the Natural History Museum in Sydney). Tarantula is the common name for a group of hairy and often very large Spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Huntsmen can generally be identified by their legs, which, rather than being jointed vertically relative to the body, are twisted such that the legs extend forward in a crab-like fashion. Crabs are decapod Crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (βραχύ / brachy

Many Huntsman spiders are dull shades of brown or grey. Their legs are covered with fairly prominent spines, but the rest of their bodies appear smooth. They are frequently found in sheds, garages and other infrequently-disturbed places. The Banded Huntsman (Holconia) is larger and grey to brown with striped bands on its legs. The Badge Huntsman (Neosparassus) is larger still, and brown and hairy. Its bite will inflict the worst injury, and local swelling and pain may cause nausea, headache, vomiting and heart palpitations. The tropical or Brown Huntsman (Heteropoda) is also large and hairy, with mottled brown, white and black markings. The Brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is found in many tropical and subtropical parts of the world including Asia the Caribbean islands the Southeastern US The eyesight of these spiders is not nearly as good as that of the Salticidae (jumping spiders). The jumping spider family ( Salticidae) contains more than 500 described genera and over 5000 Species, making it the largest family of Spiders with about Nevertheless, their vision is quite sufficient to detect approaching humans or other large animals from some distance.

Habitat and distribution

Members of the Huntsman family of spiders are very common in Australia, but also in many tropical and semi-tropical parts of the world. They have been introduced to many parts of the world, including China, Japan and southern parts of the United States, such as Florida and Puerto Rico. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} A species of Huntsman can be found in Hawaii, where it is commonly known as a Cane Spider. The Brown huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria, is found in many tropical and subtropical parts of the world including Asia the Caribbean islands the Southeastern US In general they are likely to be found wherever ships may bring them as unintended passengers to areas that are not too cold for them to survive in the winter. In southern Africa they are commonly known as rain spiders because of their tendency to seek shelter before rain storms, often entering human habitations when doing so. ^[1]

As adults, Huntsman spiders do not build webs, but hunt and forage for food: their diet consists primarily of insects and other invertebrates. An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate They live in the crevices of tree bark, but will frequently wander into homes and vehicles. They are able to travel extremely fast, and walk on walls and even on ceilings. They also tend to exhibit a "cling" reflex if picked up, making them difficult to shake off and much more likely to bite. The females are fierce defenders of their egg sacs and young. They will generally make a threat display if provoked, but if the warning is ignored they may attack and bite.

Toxicity and aggression

In general, Huntsman spiders are not regarded as dangerous, and can be considered beneficial because they feed on insects (Many Australians will relocate Huntsmen to the garden rather than kill them). There have been reports of members of the genus Neosparassus (formerly called Olios) giving bites that have caused prolonged pain, inflammation, headache, vomiting and irregular pulse rate; however, a scientific study into the bite of these spiders did not note any severe or unusual symptoms resulting from confirmed Neosparassus bites. ^[2] It is unclear under what circumstances these spiders bite people, but it is known that female members of this family will aggressively defend against perceived threats to their egg sacs and their young.

Sound production in mating rituals

Males of Heteropoda venatoria, one of the Huntsman spiders that seems to easily find its way around the world, have recently been found to deliberately make a substrate-borne sound when they detect a chemical (pheromone) left by a nearby female of their species. The males anchor themselves firmly to the surface onto which they have crawled and then use their legs to transmit vibrations from their bodies to the surface. Most of the sound emitted is produced by strong vibrations of the abdomen. The characteristic frequency of vibration and the pattern of bursts of sound identify them to females of their species, who will approach if they are interested in mating. ^[3]

Gallery

Genus Heteropoda

	Huntsman spider (Heteropoda venatoria) eating a cricket	The same spider is carrying an empty egg case.	Ventral aspect, showing epigynum and spinnerets.
	A fairly well-known picture demonstrating the size of a large Huntsman.

Genus Micrommata

M. virescens

See also

• List of Sparassidae species
• Spider families

References

• Bayram, A. (2001): Micrommata virescens (Clerck, 1757), a New Species for the Spider Fauna of Turkey (Araneae, Sparassidae). Turk J Zool 26:305-307 PDF

External links

• Factsheet on huntsman spiders
• Fact sheet Museum Victoria
• University of Southern Queensland Sparassidae pictures & descriptions
• List of Sparassidae subfamilies and genera
• The 'Clock Spider,' a set of three images depicting a Huntsman Spider concealed behind a wall clock
• Pictures of Huntsman spiders in Japan
• Picture of Pandercetes gracilis (Lichen huntsman) from Australia