Heteropoda venatoria

Description

Adults have a flat, brown body 2.2 to long, with leg spans of 7 to. The female may be slightly larger than the male, particularly in the abdomen, but the male has longer legs and larger tips on its pedipalps. The clypeus, the area just in front of the eyes, is cream or yellowish, and the carapace behind the eyes has a wide band which is usually tan in the female and cream in the male. The body is not very hairy, but the legs have erectile setae, each of which is marked with a black dot.

Biology

Females produce an egg sac up to about 2.5 centimeters wide, carrying it with their pedipalps under the body. Egg sacs are variable in size, usually containing over 100 eggs, with larger ones holding over 400. The spiderlings undergo their first molt while still in the sac. In one small laboratory sample, the life span of the male averaged 465 days, and that of the female was 580 days.

As part of its courtship behavior, the male produces a sound by vibrating its abdomen while keeping its feet firmly planted. This is faintly audible to humans as a "buzz" or "hum".

The spider is not considered dangerous, but it does deliver enough venom to give a painful bite. File:Brown Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria) (6747997255).jpg|Mating File:Heteropoda fg02.jpg|Female with egg sac

Prey

The spider feeds on insects, which includes various species of butterflies and moths such as Deilephila elpenor. The spider captures them directly instead of spinning webs. After capturing its prey, the spider injects them with venom. The venom of this spider contains the toxin HpTX2, a potassium channel blocker. In some tropical areas the spider is considered a useful resident of households because of its efficient consumption of pest insects. It commonly lives in houses and other structures such as barns and sheds, especially in areas that experience cold temperatures. It is sensitive to cold and can live outdoors only in warmer climates. In Bermuda, where they are mostly found indoors, they are generally called house spiders (which may cause its identity to be confused with the Southern house spider), or sometimes wolf spiders (Not to be confused with Lycosidae, which are also called wolf spiders.)

Besides insects it has been known to prey on scorpions and bats.

Gallery

File:Heteropoda venatoria female.jpg|Female File:Heteropoda venatoria 1.jpg|Male File:Brown Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria) (6747996233).jpg|Female File:Heteropoda venatoria - 2024 May 1.webm|thumbtime=1|Crawling on a wall File:A female spider, possibly a Heteropoda venatoria, with egg sac.jpg|Female with egg sac, in India.

References

References

1. Edwards, G. B. [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in317 Huntsman Spider, ''Heteropoda venatoria'' (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae).] EENY-160. Entomology and Nematology. Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2000, revised 2009.
2. Ross, J., et al. (1982). [http://psyche.entclub.org/89/89-297.html The life cycle of ''Heteropoda venatoria'' (Linnaeus) (Araneae: Heteropodidae).] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-12-28 ''Psyche'' 89, 297-306.)
3. Rovner, J. S. (1980). [http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v8_n2/JoA_v8_p193_grey.pdf Vibration in ''Heteropoda venatoria'' (Sparassidae): a third method of sound production in spiders.] {{Webarchive. link. (2008-12-21 ''Journal of Arachnology'' 8, 193-200.)
4. [http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/insects-spiders/identification-guides-and-keys/spider-bites/huntsman-spider.html Huntsman spider, ''Heteropoda venatoria''.] Natural History Museum. 2013.
5. Bernard, C., et al. (2000). [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2144494/pdf/11152117.pdf Solution structure of hpTX2, a toxin from ''Heteropoda venatoria'' spider that blocks Kv4.2 potassium channel.] ''Protein Science'' 9(11), 2059-67.
6. . (). ["Spiders in Bermuda"](https://spiderid.com/locations/bermuda).
7. Trimingham, Robin. (2020-12-01). "All creatures great and small". [[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda).
8. . (). ["Huntsman spider"](https://environment.bm/spiders-gallery/1avj5fgj9pmb7dkozsxsatiriivlgm).
9. . (). ["6 Creepy Crawlies Scarier Than A Cockroach"](https://www.thebermudian.com/home-a-garden/nature/6-creepy-crawlies-scarier-than-a-cockroach/).