Spiders

Add a sighting Subscribe View significant View unverified

Tips for submitting spider sightings:

Photos from various angles are sometimes necessary for specific ID.

front (eye arrangement, pedipalp colour)
dorsal (above - general colouration, carapace and abdomen patterns)
ventral (underneath - especially useful for some of the ground-dwelling families and orb-weaving families)
side (further details for general shape, abdomen patterns and eye configuration)
back (further details for abdomen pattern).

Comments or photos on the following also provides valuable information if/when such features are applicable and observed...

surroundings and location (eg. ground, leaf litter, hand rail, tree trunk)
web structure and silk use (eg. orb, messy & tangled, throwing silk)
breeding (eg. display, egg sac)
behaviour (eg. hunting, interaction, familiarity with people such as the threatening display of a huntsman or the friendly and curious jumping spiders that jump onto the camera lens)
notable, unique, exciting or strange observations (eg. spur-like protrusions from legs, camouflage, mimicry)

Please note that the size of the spider is measured by body length.

body size is from the top of the cephalothorax (head) to the tip of the abdomen without including the legs.

(Updated: October, 2022. Please feel free to message a spider moderator if you have any queries or suggestions for improvement)

Resources:

Field guide: A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia authored by Robert Whyte & Greg Anderson

A good introduction: http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/allies/araneae.html

All about Australian spiders: http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=2409

Spiders

Huntsman spiders (Sparassidae)

Jumping or peacock spiders (Salticidae)

Wolf spiders (Lycosidae)

Other hunting spiders

Orb-weaving spiders (several families)

Trapdoor, Funnelweb or Mouse spiders (Mygalomorphae)

Other web-building spiders

Water spiders (Pisauridae)

Moderators

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NateKingsford

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Discussion

NateKingsford wrote:

Yesterday

Hey @HughCraig9, is this the right photo? I don't see a spider in this one

Unverified Spider

NateKingsford wrote:

Yesterday

You're correct about this one being a female, only the females carry the babies!

Tasmanicosa sp. (genus)

TwoRivers wrote:

Yesterday

Please note: The pattern of projections on the upper surfaces of the abdomen is characteristic of this species. Those on the closely related Eriophora pustulosa are similar but the latter species is often darker and has a more angular body shape.
See also

https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/9c2c48ed-7d1b-4cbb-ad24-d6abee807b02

Backobourkia brounii

EathanDouglas wrote:

26 Apr 2025

Added it into the system :)

Holconia murrayensis

NateKingsford wrote:

26 Apr 2025

@EathanDouglas one for you

Holconia murrayensis