''Heteropoda cervina'', commonly called the brown huntsman, is a large species of

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

in the family

Sparassidae Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae (formerly Heteropodidae), are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometim ...

often found in leaf litter in central Queensland, Australia. The species was first described by

Ludwig Carl Christian Koch Ludwig Carl Christian Koch (8 November 1825 – 1 November 1908) was a German entomologist and arachnologist. He was born in Regensburg, Germany, and died in Nuremberg, Germany. He studied in Nuremberg, initially law, but then turned to medic ...

in 1875 as ''Sarotes cervinus''. ''Heteropoda cervina'' shelters under bark or other dark places during the day, emerging in the evening to find prey, often on tree trunks. These spiders are also known to enter houses, though they are extremely timid, and their bite – while painful – is only mildly toxic. Their unequally sized legs, after which the genus is named, are splayed to the side allowing very fast sideways movement and abrupt change of direction. They have strong, curved fangs, a flattened body and two rows of four eyes. Males and females look alike, females larger. Females lay their eggs in large "cocoons". ''Heteropoda cervina'' is very similar in appearance to the related species '' Heteropoda jugulans''. There has been a great deal of confusion regarding this species, because of a misidentification of ''Heteropoda jugulans'' as ''Heteropoda cervina'' by Ramon Mascord (1970, 1980) perpetuated by other authors.Arachne.org.au http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=949

References

External links

* Sparassidae Spiders of Australia Endemic fauna of Australia Spiders described in 1875 {{sparassidae-stub