Theridiidae (family)

Comb-footed spider at Latham, ACT

Theridiidae (family) at Latham, ACT - 1 Apr 2020
Theridiidae (family) at Latham, ACT - 1 Apr 2020
Request use of media

Identification history

Theridiidae (family) 3 May 2020 MichaelMulvaney
Euryopis sp. (genus) 3 Apr 2020 MichaelMulvaney
Unidentified 2 Apr 2020 Christine

Identify this sighting


Please Login or Register to identify this sighting.

User's notes

Just a couple of mm. I thought at first maybe a mite, but perhaps it is a baby spider?? Sorry bad pic, but so tiny, and moving ...

6 comments

YumiCallaway wrote:
   3 Apr 2020
Based on body size, shape, proportions and colouration: potentially Tharpyna sp?
CathB wrote:
   3 Apr 2020
It reminds me of Euryopis (Theridiidae), which are also tiny like this.
YumiCallaway wrote:
   3 Apr 2020
I agree; the one on p334 of Whyte & Anderson caught my eye when I was flicking through potential species...
Given how hard it would've been trying to get a photo of this spider, did you happen to get a close look at it? (not through the camera or photos) What did you think?
Based on behaviour; different spider groups generally have different posture or movement. Eg. Euryopis sp. posture I would associate as similar with the posture of Oecobius navus (especially when resting: how the legs are bent backwards)
Also, the body shape? I can't really tell from the photo whether the head is raised/rounded or flat. A rounded head I would be inclined more towards something like Theridiidae, while if it was flat, I would go towards crab spiders more.
But this is all just based off what I can get out of the photos. I'm sure you'd have more insight after having seen it yourself!
Christine wrote:
   3 Apr 2020
Ahh, sorry Yumi, my near sight is not what it used to be, to me it just appeared tiny and roundish, and as i said, at first I thought it might be a mite...
YumiCallaway wrote:
   3 Apr 2020
That's ok then!! Let's see what other people think: I'm happy to go with Cath's suggestion for Euryopis sp because the cephalothorax does appear to be more raised than I first thought, resembling Euryopis (Theridiidae) body structure rather than Tharpyna (Thomisidae). It also seems to me from your photos that it was moving quite quickly too.
   4 Apr 2020
Yes I was thinking Euryopis as well

Please Login or Register to comment.

Location information

Sighting information

Additional information

  • Less than 5mm Animal size

Species information

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
1,899,378 sightings of 21,125 species in 9,329 locations from 12,967 contributors
CCA 3.0 | privacy
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land and acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.