# Spider ID



## Omgitschris (Jan 3, 2010)

While i was up in colac visiting relatives we noticed a large-ish spider crawling out of the garden and heading towards a plant, so i put my fear of spiders aside for a minute while i snapped a few shots of it. Could anyone please tell me what it is ? Cheers.


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## Pike01 (Jan 4, 2010)

Brown Trapdoor?


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## [email protected] (Jan 4, 2010)

yeah i would agree that its a trap door


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## [email protected] (Jan 4, 2010)

see if you can find any vertical burrows close by, i think it may be a female not to sure about spiders so i could be mistaken, there nice looking


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## Omgitschris (Jan 4, 2010)

i dont know a thing about spiders, i'm not sure if there are burrows nearby. are they a dangerous species ? and i'm not sure "nice" is the describing word i'd use for it. maybe aggitated, freightening, scary, big and hairy


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## Asharee133 (Jan 4, 2010)

i beg to differ, i have a feeling its a funnel web


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## [email protected] (Jan 4, 2010)

they have a low toxin but bite could be come painful so i would not want to be bitten by one, compare it to a funnel web or red back there quiet harmless, they still will throw there body up and show its fangs in defensive mode as you can see from those great pics you have taken. spiders are amazing creatures.


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## Omgitschris (Jan 4, 2010)

nice of it to pose a bit for me though  they are interesting, but i dont think there the type of creature i like to be around often, i'm not realy a spider person. and i dont think i'd like to be close enough for it to bite me, nice to know they arnt life threatening


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## AMY22 (Jan 4, 2010)

Now when you say largish, what size do you mean? Because that looks more like a tarantula to me. I’ve seen one here in SA before (the biggest freakin spider I’ve ever seen), until someone decided to kill it.


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## Omgitschris (Jan 4, 2010)

about the size of my hand. which i just measured and from wrist to middle finger is 17cm. so roughly around that size. does that mean its not a trap door or funnel web ?


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## [email protected] (Jan 4, 2010)

if its the size of your hand then its very possible your right


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## AMY22 (Jan 4, 2010)

If it’s that size it’s definitely not a trap door or a funnel web. Australian tarantulas will grow up to approx. 16cm. You’re really lucky to see something like that!


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## herptrader (Jan 4, 2010)

ok here is another taken in McCrae (Bayside Melbourne) over the weekend. Obviously one of the cross spiders... and at a guess I would give the name golden cross spider.

It was about 30mm on the diagonal.


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## Pike01 (Jan 4, 2010)

Looks like a net casting spider.


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## Sock Puppet (Jan 4, 2010)

herptrader, as Pike said, that's a net casting spider. They hang upside down like that just above the ground, with a web "net" between their two front legs. When something tasty walks underneath them, they drop the net to catch them. Very cool spiders, they can get pretty big too!

Omgitschris, that looks like a funnel web, although I don't know if their range extends to Vic. Send a pic to Australian Reptile Park (Gosford NSW, you should be able to find their email easily enough), or the Australian Museum. I say the Reptile Park as they keep funnel webs to "milk" for antivenom. Your pics are very clear so they should be able to correctly identify it. Don't forget to mention to them exactly where you found it.


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## Hooglabah (Jan 4, 2010)

yeah its a female funnel web you can tell but the size of the abdomen that its a girl and the distinctive red under the fangs (while nor as bright as a males is still there) and the fear inspiring bite pose at i assume no more provocation than taking the photo. and yeah up towards nsw we can occasionally get funnel webs but only more recently with the warmer weather. (dangerously venomous spider)


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## [email protected] (Jan 4, 2010)

*funnel webs forster*

very unfortunate for these spiders as my step father went around inside and out of the house collecting these guys with in an hour. im pretty sure these are funnel webs. they even found one roaming under the bed . me personally would not have killed them. but you know how people have these phobias with spiders. I quiet like them actually wouldn't mind some. 

cheers steve


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2010)

Its too large for a trapdoor its definately a funnelwed but depending on where you live it could one of around 35 species from 2 deferent genera, _Hadronyche_ and _Atrax_, _Atrax Robusta _being the infamous Sydney funnelweb the snowy river valley in eastern vic is I think around the southern limit for the _Atrax_ genus and judging on size id say that ones from the _Hadronyche_ group


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2010)

sorry I just read your post properly if it was in colac id say its more than likley _H. Modesta_


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## Omgitschris (Jan 4, 2010)

ok thanks guys for the id  if i had of known it was a funnelweb i dont think i would have got so close, i didnt know they were in vic. after i snapped a few shots a family member used a jar and paper and put him/her in a paddock across the road. 
so long and good luck lil fella.


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## herptrader (Jan 4, 2010)

The Victorian (Melbourne??) funnel web is quite common but not seen all that often. It is no where near as dangerous or venomous to humans as its Sydney counterpart.


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## JasonL (Jan 5, 2010)

here's a netcaster in action


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