Help identifying a spider

[danja]

Howdy. Just apprehended a crawly critter in my bedroom, I suspect it's a male funnel web, but I'm no expert on these things.

I remember seeing we had quite a few resident invertebrate experts last time a mystery critter was posted here, so I'm hoping I can draw on the knowledge of some of you clever folk to figure out exactly what this guy is.

If he turns out to be a funnel web it would be good to know, so I can take a few extra precautions to stop them getting indoors. We get plenty of crawly things around here, but they are mostly harmless, so funnel webs concern me slightly. I've never found one here before, just a couple of redbacks.

Any help appreciated!

[hsvpunk]

Spider Identification Chart > AUSTRALIA < Venomous Dangerous Spiders

Spider Identification - spiders in Australia

[ari666]

looks like a trapdoor.

not really dangerous cos' they run away a lot but i still wouldnt f.. with it

[edals]

Looks like a dead Huntsman to me, They curl there legs up when they die. And i have alot around my house. Its not a Funnel web.

[VS_Pete_1]

as above mate

[88GreenVN]

looks too small for a huntsman - the ones we have in SA are light grey and 4 times the size.

Note: all spiders curl up the legs when deaded.

[Kikki]

I vote huntsman.

[VNexecutive]

i dont vote for huntsman, because most huntsmans have longer legs than its body, where as this spider appears to be too equal in its leg and body size (regardless of the fact they're curled up)

we had a funnel web here in our house in geelong not too long ago, and it looked like that. scary looking critters. mind you, the funnel web was jet black in colour. and it was a female one. freaked me out big time.

[ari666]

sif
trapdoor:


huntsman


just look at the mandibles in danja's pic. looks nothing like a huntsman

[Kikki]

Thanks Ari, you may be right.

Either way I cant handle this thread without wanting to scream and its getting worse.... so... bye!!

[brockee]

sif
trapdoor:


huntsman


just look at the mandibles in danja's pic. looks nothing like a huntsman

with ari666 on that one, with the legs curled up as they are, there not long enough to be huntsman ???

[vp_commo]

could be a funnel web, they come in black brown , fat or thin depending on sex or location.
But does it have like prominent little prongs on its abdomen at the rear 'cerci'.
Funnel webs 'cerci' are very prominent easily seen.
I cannot see any in the pic but if you look at some funnel web pics you see the cerci. easily.

It could quite easily be aSydney funnel web as they tend to be leaner and brown in colour, a bit different from the fat shiney black ones we always see on tv.

sorry not much help, but i copied this off the Australian museum site:
might help.

Identifying Funnel-web Spiders
Shiny carapace
Deeply curved groove (fovea)
No obvious body pattern
Eyes closely grouped
Four spinnerets, largest with last segment longer than wide
Lower lip (labium) studded with short, blunt spines
Modified male second leg (usually with a mating spur or grouped spines)
An obvious, conical projection or 'spur' on the lower side of the middle segment (tibia) of the second leg (about halfway along) is characteristic of the genus Atrax, exemplified by the Sydney Funnel-web Spider, Atrax robustus. Males of all other funnel-web species (currently placed in the genus Hadronyche) either have a blunt, spine-covered tibial swelling, or a few spines only, on the second leg. Note also the mating organ on the male palp.
Suspects gallery
These spiders are funnel-webs:


These spiders are sometimes mistaken for funnel-webs:

Sydney Brown Trapdoor Spider (Misgolas rapax) male
Sydney Brown Trapdoor Spider (Misgolas rapax) female
Mouse Spider (Missulena sp) female
Bymaniella near Guyra, New South Wales
Black house spider (Badumna insignis)


Cheers

Dan

[danja]

Thanks for the feedback so far. We get plenty of huntsmans around the place, it was way too small to be one of them, and the body proportions are all wrong.

I'm not aware of ever seeing trapdoors here before, also the legs are a bit too spindly and the fangs too small to be a trapdoor I think.



^^ That's a drawing of a funnelweb (male) I found on the net, it looks quite similar, though it is a bit hard to tell with the legs curled up (which all spiders seem to do after a hit of Mortein )

I should also add that the body of the spider I found is about 1.5cm long, I know its hard to tell the scale from the photos - sorry.

[danja]

A couple of better pictures, now the subject has a little less rigor and a little more mortis

[vp_commo]

If you see the second leg of that spider you have in the picture (the second leg, do not count the first two feelers), it has a prominent spur on it.

Your spider already has the 4 spinnerettes, as seen in the pic you got of the upside down spider.
Get a magnifying glass and see if it has a spur on its second leg, If so,,it is a Sydney funnel web.

In saying that I cannot see any spurs on the second leg of your spider, but it could still be a male funnel web, just not a Sydney funnel web..

cheers

Dan

[greenfoam]

It's a Funnel web of some kind, jus a matter of it's it's a nasty one or not , there's heaps of species of them

[levymetal]

i like your photos!

[danja]

If you see the second leg of that spider you have in the picture (the second leg, do not count the first two feelers), it has a prominent spur on it.

Your spider already has the 4 spinnerettes, as seen in the pic you got of the upside down spider.
Get a magnifying glass and see if it has a spur on its second leg, If so,,it is a Sydney funnel web.

In saying that I cannot see any spurs on the second leg of your spider, but it could still be a male funnel web, just not a Sydney funnel web..

cheers

Dan

Hi Dan,

I read about that spur and did have a look for it, it doesn't appear to have it, though all the other features match up so I think Foamy might be right that it's a funnel web, but probably not the "Sydney" funnel web.

We had a monsoon-like downpour here overnight, and I've heard the water can flush them out - it's also funnel web season right now, so it all adds up.

Think I'll do a little clearing of debris around the house, and lay a bit of surface spray down for the ones who don't get the message.

Thanks everyone.

[vr94ss]

Looks more like a trapdoor than a funnelweb to me and it has the boxing glove palps that a trapdoor has.

Piccy of one: http://www.ozanimals.com/image/album...r-spider-m.jpg

If you've had a lot of rain it's certainly make them get out of their burrows.

[vp_commo]

you know I think vr94ss has a good pic there and it is identical to your spider.
I am saying "Sydney trapdoor, commonly confused with a funnel web", but I beleive they can still give a good bite. Not the sort of thing you want in your bedroom.

Cheers

Dan

[vr94ss]

you know I think vr94ss has a good pic there and it is identical to your spider.
I am saying "Sydney trapdoor, commonly confused with a funnel web", but I beleive they can still give a good bite. Not the sort of thing you want in your bedroom.

Cheers

Dan

I'm pretty sure trapdoors are harmless to people. I wouldn't want to get bitten by any spider though

Just googled and on FREE Australian Spiders Identification Chart they says:
Venom toxicity - the bite of the Trap-Door Spider is of low risk (non toxic) to humans. It is a non-aggressive spider - usually timid but may stand up and present it's fangs if harassed. Rarely bites - but if so it can be painful.

[ari666]

yeah, dont get me wrong a trap door will mess you up if you got bitten, but they will run away from a fight before they bite.

and surface spray sadly wont do much to get rid of em, they dont really use antennaie the same as roaches or ants and they dont eat stuff they find so wont ingest it. also they mostly up high, in roof awnings etc. so your gonna need a loooot of spray

[vr94ss]

yeah, dont get me wrong a trap door will mess you up if you got bitten, but they will run away from a fight before they bite.

and surface spray sadly wont do much to get rid of em, they dont really use antennaie the same as roaches or ants and they dont eat stuff they find so wont ingest it. also they mostly up high, in roof awnings etc. so your gonna need a loooot of spray

They live up high in the rafters?? I'm pretty sure they live in burrows in the ground The torrential rain probably brought them out.

[danja]

Looks more like a trapdoor than a funnelweb to me and it has the boxing glove palps that a trapdoor has.

Piccy of one: http://www.ozanimals.com/image/album...r-spider-m.jpg

If you've had a lot of rain it's certainly make them get out of their burrows.

I'd say that's a winner! Thanks for that, I can rest a little easier now I suppose The thing that freaks me a bit about funnel webs is that they come looking for you, not like most spiders that'll only bite you if they're cornered.

i like your photos!

Thanks Levy, extension tubes are great for poor-mans macro shots


Thanks again to everyone.

[VK SL 3800]

Lol, was trying to look at the small picture without clicking so was up real close to the screen and then clicked on it and it came up so big and scary looking it made me jump and i fell of my chair.