Description and photos of Australian spiders

On the continent, separated from other continents in the middle of the Cretaceous period, very peculiar flora and fauna formed. Similar animals are not found anywhere except Australia. Due to isolation, the mainland fauna today is characterized by increased toxicity and aggressiveness. Even the seemingly harmless black swans introduced to other continents began to destroy other waterfowl. Snakes and spiders in Australia are distinguished by both the strong action of the poison and its large single dose. There is an interesting version that so many potent poisons were required for them to hunt larger or poorer-resistant animals. This prey died out recently by evolutionary standards, and the increased toxicity of Australian spiders and snakes is archaism that did not manage to disappear.

Dangerous spiders

Australia's most poisonous spider belongs to the family Voronkov (Agelenidae). Representatives of this family in Australia, there are 36 species. But only 3 of them are considered dangerous spiders for humans:

• Sydney leukopautin, aka Sydney funnel;
• northern tree funnel;
• small southern funnel.

On a note!

You need to focus on the Sydney leukoputin, as it has the most powerful poison. The other two were previously considered very poisonous. New studies have shown that these two types of Australian spiders are not able to cause much harm to humans. Their poison can be neutralized with serum used against the Sydney funnel.

Sydney Leukopautin (Atrax robustus)

Australia's most poisonous and dangerous spider. Not only is its poison without the help provided in time capable of killing a person, this spider is also very aggressive. When attacked, it deeply pierces the skin and has to be torn off manually from the wound. Australians are saved by the fact that the habitat of this monster is small: New South Wells.

The usual size of this arthropod is 1-5 cm. A case of catching a spider of 7.5 cm was recorded. The body color can be black with a blue tint, just black or brown.

She prefers to settle in cool, damp places or in houses. Its prey is large insects and other spiders. For this, atrax needs potent poison and powerful chelicera. Sydney Leukoputin Spider able to pierce a thumbnail with chelicerae. The main activity of this spider occurs at night.

Interesting!

The poison of atrax is dangerous for all primates, the bites of the Sydney leukopautin spider are not terrible for other mammals.

In Australia, atrax is caught every year, since spiders are needed to make serum from their poison. To get 1 dose of spider serum, they’ll milk it 70 times.

Northern Woody Funnel (Hadronyche formidabilis)

Even a photo with a name is unlikely to help in practice distinguish a northern tree spider from an atrax. These representatives of the funnel family have very similar parameters:

• body length 5 cm;
• the color is dark brown or black;
• similar range.

Northern arboreal is wider in Australia wider than the Sydney leukopautin and is also found in South New Wells.

A male northern arboreal body shape almost copies the female atrax. The female looks more massive.

The northern arboreal species lives in hollows, trunk cracks, rotting wood, and epiphytic plants. Distribution Range: Eastern Australia. Settles in trees up to a height of 30 m.

On a note!

Active spider at night. Its prey is wood pests. The poison is the strongest among all members of the family. In half the cases with spider bites recorded severe intoxication of the body. As an antidote, serum against the sydney leukopoutin venom is used.

Small Southern Funnel (Hadronyche cerberea)

Even the description of the arthropod sounds gloomy. This is a completely black spider with powerful chelicera. The cephalothorax is shiny, the abdomen is matte. Sometimes the color of the abdomen can vary from light brown to dark brown.

A southern funnel spider is found in the dry terrain of Eastern Australia: from the Hunter River to the south of New South Wells. He prefers to settle on trees. In areas where the ranges of the southern funnel and atrax intersect, they can coexist together in one hole.

¾ all bites of the southern funnel spider lead to severe intoxication. The first signs of poisoning appear after 15-20 minutes. As an antidote, serum against atrax bites is used.

Australian Widow (Latrodectus hasselti)

The second most poisonous red-backed spider is known more than atrax, as the Australian black widows. The red-backed spider really belongs to the genus of black widows. The difference between the red-backed and the American spider is that the Australian relative has a longitudinal red stripe in the middle of the abdomen. Because of this band, it can be confused with the steicode Paykulla. But just look at the photos to understand the difference.

A characteristic feature of the red-backed spider is the presence of an hourglass-shaped spot on the underside of the abdomen. The American black widow has the same spot.

The red-backed is smaller than the “American”: the female’s body size is 1 cm. But poisonousness is in second place both in the black widow family and in the company of Australian spiders. Meeting a red-backed spider in a house is common in Australia. Because of this, more people suffer from bites from an Australian widow than from atraxes. Red-serum venom serum exists, but it does not relieve pain after a bite.

The habitat of this species is the whole of Australia, as the Australian widow belongs to flying spiders. This is a way of resettling young spiders on cobwebs using wind.

Interesting!

There are no less species of such “flying spiders” in Australia than on other continents.

White-tailed

Belong to the genus Lampona, in which 2 species are distinguished: Lampona murina and Lampona cylindrata. These arthropods are very similar in appearance, the second species is slightly larger: 1.8 cm body length and 2.8 cm paw span. Other differences can only be observed under a microscope.

The ranges of species are different, but with the addition of territories, it turns out that white-tailed spiders are common throughout Australia. Habitats:

• forest litter;
• gardens;
• human dwellings;
• shelters under bark and rocks.

In homes often climb into clothes, shoes or towels.

Networks are not built. These are hunter spiders. The main activity of white-tailed falls at night. Their prey is large insects and others species of spiders.

On a note!

A lamp bite leads to itching and burning. Sometimes there are necrotic foci. But studies have shown that the cause is not poison, but concomitant infection of the wound with pathogenic bacteria.

Mouse

The Actinopodidae family has 10 species in Australia. The name "mouse" is erroneous, and these spiders do not dig holes.They prey on insects, bandicuts, scorpions and millipedes.

The body size of mouse spiders is 1-3 cm. Sexual dimorphism is manifested in body color: females of all species are black, and males can be brightly colored. The color of males is different for each species.

A person is bitten rarely and usually without consequences. Of the 40 cases of registered bites, only 1 led to serious consequences.

Tarantulas

In Australia, there are 29 species of the genus Lycosa. Each species is limited by its relatively small range, but all together tarantulas completely occupy the territory of the mainland.

Appearance and lifestyle are similar to Eurasian and American wolf spiders. The toxicity of lycotic tarantulas in Australia is also at the level of their counterparts from other continents.

Australian Web Spider (Eriophora transmarina)

Orbiting replaces habitual in Australia crosses. The Australian garden spider is indistinguishable in size and body shape from the cross, but there is no characteristic cross on the upper side of the abdomen.

It lives in gardens, forests, parks. Like a cross, weaves circular networks. But it is especially active at night, as the sun dries his body.

The Australian whirlwind is more toxic than the cross. Its poison can cause redness of the bite, slight pain, sometimes swelling. All consequences go away after 0.5-4 hours.

Interesting!

The Australian garden spider also belongs to the "flying spiders."

Scary looking

With all the desire of the Australian fauna, if you don’t eat a person, then at least bite, there are quite harmless animals there. Such occur even among arthropods. Not all huge spiders in Australia are poisonous.

Hunter spider

The bite of this arthropod is not dangerous for humans, although it can cause consequences of varying degrees of severity. The level of exposure to the hunter's poison depends on the susceptibility of the victim. Or tormentor, as a hunter bites a person rarely and very reluctantly. It needs to be provoked for a long time by a bite.

Interesting!

Spider hunter does not weave nets, catching up with prey on long legs. Paw span up to 19 cm. Arthropod movement speed 1m / sec. The hunter's lifestyle is nocturnal.

Because of the love of cars, the hunter's “conscience” may have more deaths than Sydney's leukoputin. The hunter likes to climb into cars under the control panel or on sun visors. Not every driver will manage it if a hunter jumps on his knees while driving.

Queensland Whistling Tarantula (Selenocosmia crassipes)

In the Russian-speaking space, such spiders are called tarantulas. In the English tradition they are tarantulas. This species is also called the eastern tarantula.

It can be set apart, because with huge sizes (paw span 22 cm), due to which it is included in list of the largest spiders in the worldIt has a relatively strong poison. An Eastern tarantula bite can lead to six hours of vomiting. But the bite of the tarantula does not cause a fatal outcome. He does not need strong poison, since he does not eat birds. Its prey is invertebrates and small lizards.

The maximum body length of a whistling tarantula is 9 cm. The tarantula has a massive body and chelicera growing up to 1 cm in length. The legs are thick. The front is thicker than the rear. The color of the bristles covering the body is dark brown. It lives in the eastern tarantula in Queensland.

The lifespan of females is 30 years, males up to 8 years. This circumstance makes them desirable "pets" among arachnophiles. As a result of the fact that whistling tarantulas are removed from the natural environment, the species is on the verge of extinction.