Spider field guide

Tips for submitting spider sightings: 

Photos from various angles are sometimes necessary for specific ID.

• front (eye arrangement, pedipalp colour)
• dorsal (above - general colouration, carapace and abdomen patterns)
• ventral (underneath - especially useful for some of the ground-dwelling families and orb-weaving families)
• side (further details for general shape, abdomen patterns and eye configuration)
• back (further details for abdomen pattern).

Comments or photos on the following also provides valuable information if/when such features are applicable and observed...

• surroundings and location (eg. ground, leaf litter, hand rail, tree trunk)
• web structure and silk use (eg. orb, messy & tangled, throwing silk)
• breeding (eg. display, egg sac)
• behaviour (eg. hunting, interaction, familiarity with people such as the threatening display of a huntsman or the friendly and curious jumping spiders that jump onto the camera lens)
• notable, unique, exciting or strange observations (eg. spur-like protrusions from legs, camouflage, mimicry)

Please note that the size of the spider is measured by body length.

• body size is from the top of the cephalothorax (head) to the tip of the abdomen without including the legs.

(Updated: October, 2022. Please feel free to message a spider moderator if you have any queries or suggestions for improvement)

Resources: 

• Field guide: A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia authored by Robert Whyte & Greg Anderson

• A good introduction: http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/allies/araneae.html

• All about Australian spiders: http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=2409

Apricia jovialis (Jovial jumping spider)

Araneus hamiltoni (Hamilton's Orb Weaver)

Arasia mollicoma (Flat-white Jumping Spider)

Asianopis subrufa (Rufous net-casting spider)

Australomisidia pilula (Lozenge-shaped Flower Spider)

Backobourkia heroine (Heroic Orb-weaver)

Clynotis severus (Stern Jumping Spider)

Dolophones sp. (genus) (Wrap-around spider)

Habronestes sp. (genus) (An ant-eating spider)

Helpis minitabunda (Threatening jumping spider)

Helpis sp. (genus) (Unidentified Bronze Jumping Spider)

Latrodectus hasselti (Redback Spider)

Maratus pavonis (Dunn's peacock spider)

Neosparassus sp. (genus) (Unidentified Badge huntsman)

Nyssus albopunctatus (White-spotted swift spider)

Opisthoncus sexmaculatus (Six-marked jumping spider)

Opisthoncus sp. (genus) (Unidentified Opisthoncus jumping spider)

Oxyopes gracilipes (Graceful-legs Lynx Spider)

Oxyopes sp. (genus) (Lynx spider)

Phonognathidae (unofficial sub family) (Leaf curling orb-weavers)

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