Beautiful Badge Huntsman (Neosparassus calligaster) spotted at night in the Copley area, body length 25mm.
Beautiful Badge Huntsman
Spider Hunter Wasp: Copley
Ctenostegus, the Spider Hunter Wasp, hunts and paralyses spiders, digs a burrow in the ground and deposits the spider along with some eggs. The spider (in this case a Beautiful Badge Hunstman) becomes living food for the developing larvae underground.
Raised spider burrow: Lyndhurst
Raised spider burrow constructed out of sand, lined with silk gossamer.
Flinders Ranges Banded Huntsman
Silverbacked Brush-footed Trapdoor Spider: Leigh Creek
Spider nest in Hakea Ednieana
Daddy Longlegs wrapping Green Lacewing
Wolf spider with blue egg sac
Spiderlings exposed under a pebble
Red-headed Mouse Spider on the run
The very large pedipalps (carrying mating organs) at the fore of this Red-headed Mouse Spider could lead you to wonder if you are looking at a ten legged spider! The Red-headed Mouse Spider is a burrowing spider related to Funnel-web, Tarantula and Trap-door spiders.
Males are busy wandering around in search a female from March until as late as June. The male, with the distinctive red head, is listed by the Australian Museum as being typically 15mm while brown females are a much larger 35mm. If you know why this male at Beltana is a whopping 50mm (measurement including legs), please let us know.
More on Red-headed Mouse Spiders.