Common Huntsman Spider

Isopeda villosa

this is a female Common Huntsman Spider, living in my study!

the dangers of Huntsman Spiders

.
DESCRIPTION

The Common Huntsman Spiders body length ranges up to 4.5cm in females and 3cm in males, but it is the long length of the hairy legs, which fan out up to 16cm, that makes these spider looks so large. Colour is usually grey or brown. Its hairy body is flat, which is designed for living under tree bark and other small crevices. The Huntsman has a distinctive bulbous abdomen, which is larger in the female.

There are several species of Huntsman Spider (94 described species) which can be found in most habitats throughout Australia. It prefers areas where there are hiding places such as rocky areas, loose bark on trees and leafy shrubs. The spider often hides from predators during the day and its activity is mainly at night when it can be seen hunting insects. The male and female of the genus Isopeda, of which the Common Huntsman Spider belongs to, has a lengthy courtship. The ritual involves mutual caresses and the male drums his palps on the surface of the ritual platform (eg: tree trunk). He inserts the palps into the female to fertilize her eggs. Unlike some other species of spider, the male Huntsman is rarely attacked afterwards. In fact, many Huntsman Spiders live together peacefully, and some in large colonies. After the eggs are fertilized the female builds a silken retreat where she lays the eggs which are a flat, oval shaped sacs of papery white silk. Around 200 eggs are laid at one time. The silken sac housing the eggs is placed in a dark crevice (eg: under bark or in a rock crevice) and the female will stand guard, without eating, for several weeks. During this time the female is quite aggressive and she will rear up in a defensive display if threatened. This is the only time when the Huntsman Spider is truly aggressive, however the display is meant more to intimidate the predator. After the approximate three week incubation period the female often moistens the egg sac to help the spiderlings emerge, which are very pale in colour. She stays with the young for several weeks while the young undergo several moults, hardening to a darker brown or grey colour and this is when they usually disperse. Huntsmans Spiders, like all spiders, moult in order to grown and their skins are often seen suspended from trees or in dark areas of the house. The Common Huntsman Spider lives for approximately two years. The Huntsman is often called a Tarantula in error. Tarantulas are from South America and have a very dangerous bite, unlike the Huntsman.