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

Lehtinelagia evanida (Pink Flower Spider)

Lehtinelagia multopunctata (Many-spotted Lehtinelagia)

Lehtinelagia prasina (Leek-green flower spider)

Lehtinelagia sp. (genus) (Flower Spider or Crab Spider)

Leucauge dromedaria (Silver dromedary spider)

Leucauge granulata (Silver Orb Spider)

Leucauge sp. (genus) (Silver Orb-weaver)

Linyphiidae (family) (Money spider or Sheet-web spider)

Lycosidae (family) (Wolf spider)

Female with babies

Maratus amabilis (Amiable Peacock Spider)

Maratus anomalus (Blue Peacock spider)

Maratus calcitrans (Kicking peacock spider)

MALE

MALE

FEMALE

MALE

Maratus chrysomelas (Variable Peacock Spider)

MALE

MALE

FEMALE

Maratus griseus (Jumping spider)

MALE

Maratus harrisi (Harris's Peacock spider)

Gravid female

Maratus hesperus (Venus Peacock Spider)

MALE

FEMALE

Early instar (Juvenile)

Maratus pavonis (Dunn's peacock spider)

MALE

MALE

FEMALE

Maratus plumosus (Plumed Peacock Spider)

Female

Maratus proszynskii (Peacock spider)

Female

Maratus purcellae (Purcell's peacock spider)

Female

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