Last Updated on Friday, 19 May, 2023 08:03:06 PM

The Five Arachnid families  >  Spiders of Borneo  >  Part 6 Family Sparassidae

Huntsman spiders (Family Sparassidae is formerly Heteropodidae)

FAMILY SPARASSIDAE - Huntsman Spiders or Giant Crab Spiders

Family Sparassidae
巨蟹蛛科 (遁蛛科 ,高腳蛛科)
Huntsman Spiders

Huntsman spiders are known by their speed and mode of hunting. 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.

Huntsman spiders (Sparassidae, formerly Heteropodidae) is a family of spiders also known as the giant crab spiders, due to their appearance. Larger specimens of these spiders are also sometimes referred to as wood spiders, due to their preference for inhabiting woody places (forest, mine shafts, woodpiles). They are known as rain spiders in southern Africa.

These eight-eyed spiders are found in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, Florida, and Hawaii, and possibly in many other tropical and semi-tropical regions.
Huntsman Spiders are large to very large size spiders. Most of them have flattened body suitable to live inside the narrow gaps under bark, log and stone. They are usually brown or grey in colours. The spiders have crab-like legs - all legs bend forwards. They can walk backwards, forwards and sideway. Their front two pairs of legs are usually much longer than back.

Huntsman spiders run fast, hunt by chasing after prey. Sometimes they come inside house looking for prey. If someone found spiders are scary, most likely Huntsman Spiders are the major causes. Females make oval flat egg-sac under bark or between leaves. They will guard the eggs and juveniles.
Huntsman Spiders active during the night, They hide in their retreat, under bark or some other shelter, during the day. Instead of chasing prey, most huntsman spiders wait at the spots where insects will come by. It is believe that the coming and going of insects put down scent trails that the huntsmen can pick up.
 

Recent records of Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae) spider species from Borneo Island

The 4 easily confused genus:

Heteropoda boiei 巨蟹蛛

GUIDE TO COMMON SPIDERS IN BORNEO ISLAND (Total 7 parts)
The number of spider species of Borneo is getting too large to list into just one page, so this long list is divided into following smaller manageable seven parts:
 

Part 6 : Family Sparassidae - Huntsman Spiders

Part 7 : All other minority spider families - New genus, less encountered species etc..

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Common Spiders of Borneo