Australian Spider Species

Australia is home to a few dangerous and venomous spider species. Spiders are part of Australian life and an essential part of our ecosystem. There is a vast range from big ones like the huntsman to the tiny spiders like the whitetail Out of more than 8000 Spider Species, many of them are only native to Australia. There should always be a concern for those spider species. Most commonly found are Red Back, White Tail, Funnel Web Spiders which are considered harmful.

Huntsman Spider:

A giant Huntsman spider’s leg span can reach up to 6 inches in length which is more than the size of some people’s palm.
Huntsman females lay 200 eggs at a time and it is kept safe in a silk sac under the stone or behind a log. They are very protective of their young ones and guard their babies until they are hatched. They love to eat all other insects and bugs and can help to clean up other bugs. They don’t catch their prey in their web, instead, they stalk it and catch it to eat.
The bite of the huntsman spider is painful and poisonous but not fatal. It has been reported that minor nausea or headache can be followed after the bite but the symptoms wear off with time.

Appearance
Body is about 2.5 cm, they are hairy and somewhat flattened, eyes arranged in 2 rows of four.

Habits
The Huntsman is a hunting and crawling spider that can scuttle sideways easily with its long legs. They are mostly non-aggressive, they will avoid defending themselves and prefer to escape from danger rather than fight. They shelter in a moist or warm hiding place.

Black House Spider

The female Black House Spider lays eggs in a silk-type sac and she stays with them until the time they are hatched. She stays with them for safety and she keeps on weaving the web. That is the reason that if they are left undisturbed then the wooly hangings appear.

Red Back Spider

Red Back is notorious for its bite, it is very important to know that only mature females have a visibly large red spot on their back. The juvenile will be brown and won’t have that distinct red spot. The same is true for males, and normally they do not bite.
Like most of the other species of spiders, this species also has big female and small-sized male spiders. The female can be up to 15 mm long compared to a small size of a male which is commonly 5mm in size.

Appearance
Red back spiders are normally black with a dark orange or red longitudinal stripe on the upper abdomen. They have an hourglass-shaped spot on the underside.

Habits
A Red Back spider web consists of a tangled funnel-like area from which vertical, sticky threads run. They like being close to human habitation, with webs built-in dry, sheltered sites. They are more common in summer.

Funnel Web Spider

Appearance
Shiny, dark brown to black with fingers-like spinnerets at the end of their abdomen which spin silk. It has impressive fangs which they bear when threatened.

Habits
Funnel-web spiders can be found both in forests and in urban areas, they normally shelter under rocks, logs, or anywhere they can find a cool and humid climate. Once they spot their prey they will quickly rush out towards them.

This is one of the spiders’ that has caused death in the past. It has venomous bites which can be fatal. But it was only before the antidote was discovered for its treatment. No deaths have been reported later in the 20th century. However, caution should be taken against all the species of Australian funnel-web spiders. The most fatal one is famous as Sydney Funnel Web Spider who is native to that region of Australia. But there are other family members of this species which we can find anywhere across Australia. They are as scary looking as dangerous their venom is.

Corner Spiders

The corner spider inhabits from the first to the tenth region of Chile, being found in approximately 50% of urban dwellings and 30% of rural dwellings. It is a shy spider, with nocturnal habits, which is very afraid of light, making it very difficult to see it during the day, and therefore it is unknown to most people.

The Corner Spider lives behind the paintings, in dark corners of homes, on dividing walls and ceilings, weaving a messy and dirty cloth, where it lives and devours its food. They are predatory arthropods, therefore they actively hunt for food. The important thing about this is that the spider at night abandons its web in search of food, and when surprised by daylight or some artificial light quickly seeks refuge in the first dark place it finds (for example: hanging clothing on the wall, beds, etc.) Due to the above, most accidents occur inside the home and at night, with the bedroom being the most frequent place and the extremities being the most affected body segments.

The corner spider is NOT spontaneously aggressive but bites only in self-defense when disturbed or pressed.

White-Tailed Spiders

Appearance
They are cylindrical, females are 12-15 mm, males are 5-8mm. Their bodies are gray or black with a white tip on the end, plus several white spots on the back.

Habits
They primarily live outdoors and are often found in sewers, and under debris and leaves. They also live in voids, they harbor in damp, cool, locations and will crawl around toilets, sinks, pipes, and ducts.

Long-Legged Spiders

The Scytodes globula is a cosmopolitan type of spider and can be found inside buildings in corners of walls, ceilings, or basements, hanging with its limbs up in a very scruffy cobweb.

These types of spiders can be easily recognized by their small body and long limbs. The first pair of legs can be up to six times as long as your body. The knee segment is much darker than the rest of the legs. They have eight eyes arranged in two groups of three and two smaller central eyes.

The fangs of these spiders are too small to penetrate human skin, so they are not considered dangerous spiders. Also, they are very efficient pest controllers inside the facilities, so they are not considered vectors of health risk and contamination by presence. Peak season: Spring-Summer

Prevention and Control of Corner Spiders

  • Prevention is mainly based on the cleaning of the ceilings, drawers, etc
  • Keep the furniture off the walls
  • Do not store products directly against the walls in the cellars, to allow the cleaning and application of arachnid products on the walls
  • Seek professional help to get rid of spider infestation