View allAll Photos Tagged huntsman
Green huntsman spider I found at night. More tropical spiders: orionmystery.blogspot.com/2012/01/tropical-spiders.html
The legendary exploits of the huntsman are forever enshrined in his memory.
Entry to the CCCX contest for the Medieval Architectural Detail category.
Predator attack or troublesome moult ? This large specimen was missing two legs.
Mary River - Northern Territory, Australia.
Huntsman spider (Sparassidae) with egg sac.
More tropical spiders: orionmystery.blogspot.com/2012/01/tropical-spiders.html
I bought this Vivitar 55mm 2.8 macro lens in about 1984 and really should use it more, I don't think my 90mm Tamron can match it. Edit 100 days later, I just caught this exact same spider in my shed tonight, and one of it's long legs are 60mm long! It even scares me.
Scouring the branches of a huge eucalypt I came across this large huntsman spider.
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Sparassidae Huntsman spiders, 1 British genus,
Contains one genus in Britain with a single distinctive eight-eyed species,
Micrommata
The single species in this genus is unmistakble, Its size and bright colouring should allow easy recognition, and the avoidance of confusion with any other species, However, It can be difficlt to find as it tends to remain motionless, sitting amongst foliage waiting to ambush passing insects,
Micrommata virescens - Green Huntman Spider,
Habitat ;- Typically found in damp, sheltered woodland, often on the lower branches of young oak, on tall grass or sedge tussocks, The female constructs a large retreat for herself and her egg-sac by binding together a number of small leaves with silk,
The retreat is usually positionsd less than half a metre above the ground, The eggs are green,
Description ;- Carapace Bright emerald green ( male slightly duller ), The eyes are ringed with white hairs, Abdomen female and immatures of both sexes yellowish-green with darker green caediac mark outlined in yellow, male yellow with deep red median and lateral bands, Legs Green,
Similar Species ;- None,
Distribution/Status ;- Widesprwad, very scattered in the couthern half of Britain with very few records in the North
Anyone know where this spider is posted that it's getting so many viewings. I'd be interested to know..
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Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae) are a family of spiders known as huntsman spiders because of their speed and mode of hunting. They also are called giant crab spiders, because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometimes are referred to as wood spiders, because of their preference for woody places (forest, mine shafts, woodpiles, wooden shacks), or clock spiders. Sparassidae are eight-eyed spiders. The eyes appear in two largely forward-facing rows of four on the anterior aspect of the prosoma. Many species grow very large – persons unfamiliar with spider taxonomy commonly confuse large species with tarantulas, but huntsman spiders can generally be identified by their legs, which, rather than being jointed vertically relative to the body, are twisted in such a way that in some attitudes the legs extend forward in a crab-like fashion. As adults, huntsman spiders do not build webs, but hunt and forage for food: their diet consists primarily of insects and other invertebrates, and occasionally small skinks and geckos.
For 2 days in the year here in India, thousands of flying termites appear in the evening, and in the morning there are piles of wings everywhere, as well as a few termites who didn't manage to discard their wings. This spider was happily gathering up the ones that were attracted to the light at night... I took this photo by flashlight...
A Heteropoda sp. huntsman spider (H. davidbowie?) with prey - a grasshopper. More tropical spiders: orionmystery.blogspot.com/2012/01/tropical-spiders.html