Spiders in Australia

Key Takeaways

• Spiders are arachnids with eight legs and two main body parts, not insects.
• Australia has about 3,600 spider species, and spiders live almost everywhere on earth.
• The spiders to take seriously are female redbacks, mouse spiders and funnel-webs.
• For a funnel-web or mouse spider bite, call 000 and apply a pressure immobilisation bandage.
• A licensed technician can identify the spiders around your property.

What Are Spiders?

Spiders are arachnids, not insects. Both spiders and insects belong to the largest group of animals on earth, the arthropods, which have hard external skeletons and jointed limbs. Spiders have two main body parts.

• Spiders have two body segments. The front segment is called the cephalothorax. The eyes, mouth fangs, stomach, brain and venom glands are on this part of the body. The eight legs are connected to it as well.
• This sets them apart from insects, which have only six legs. The legs are usually long and hairy, and the hairs pick up scents, sounds, vibrations and air currents.
• Most spiders have eight eyes. Some have no eyes and others have as many as 12. Most can only tell light from dark, while others have well-developed vision.
• At the front of the cephalothorax are the mouthparts, called chelicerae. In spiders these are hollow, contain venom glands and are used to inject venom into prey.

Spider Habitat: Where Do Spiders Live?

Spiders are everywhere. During their long history, spiders have evolved into thousands of different species and spread all over the world. Spiders live in almost every habitat on earth, except for the polar regions, the highest mountains and the oceans.

A few spider species have moved into the ocean’s edge, living in the rock and coral crevices of the intertidal zone.

How Many Species of Spiders Are There?

More than 35,000 spider species are known worldwide, and Australia has about 3,600. Biologists believe that many spider species are still to be identified and named.

A few spiders are very small and live such hidden lives that most of us never see them. Others are large, like the huntsman spider. Many spiders have unusual body shapes and colours, which can help them ambush prey, avoid being eaten and attract mates.

Common Spiders Around Australian Homes

Most spiders you find at home are harmless to people. A small number can cause serious harm, and it helps to know which ones.

Spider	Risk
Funnel-web spiders	Dangerous. Call 000 after a bite
Mouse spiders	Dangerous. Treat as a funnel-web bite
Redback spiders (females)	Dangerous. Seek medical advice
Huntsman spiders	Large and startling to find indoors

Control Pest Management technicians are trained to recognise the different species in your locality.

Funnel-Web Spiders

Funnel-web spiders are the most notorious members of our spider fauna and are found in eastern Australia. There are at least 40 species of funnel-web spiders, and they vary from 1 cm to 5 cm in body length.

Body colour can vary from black to brown, but the hard carapace covering the front part of the body is always sparsely haired and glossy.

• Not all species are known to be dangerous.
• Several are renowned for their highly toxic and fast acting venom.
• A funnel-web bite is a medical emergency, so call 000 straight away.

Identifying Funnel-Web Spiders

• Shiny carapace
• Deeply curved groove (fovea)
• No obvious body pattern
• Eyes closely grouped
• Four spinnerets, the largest with its last segment longer than wide
• Lower lip (labium) studded with short, blunt spines
• Modified male second leg, usually with a mating spur or grouped spines

Where Funnel-Web Spiders Live

Funnel-web spiders live in the moist forest regions of the east coast and highlands of Australia, from Tasmania to north Queensland. They are also found in the drier open forests of the Western Slopes of the Great Dividing Range and South Australia’s Gulf ranges.

Funnel-webs burrow in moist, cool, sheltered habitats, such as under rocks, in and under rotting logs, in crevices, and in rot and borer holes in rough-barked trees. In gardens, they prefer rockeries and dense shrubberies, and are rarely found in more open situations like lawns.

How to Spot Them

The most characteristic sign of a funnel-web burrow is the irregular silk trip-lines that radiate out from the burrow entrance. These trip-lines alert the spider to possible prey, mates or danger. If a spider burrow has obvious silk trip-lines around its rim, you can be fairly certain that it belongs to a funnel-web spider.

First Aid for Funnel-Web Spider Bites

Despite the availability of an effective antivenom, correct and immediate first aid is still essential for funnel-web and mouse spider bites. Call 000 and follow these steps.

• Keep the person as still and quiet as possible.
• Apply a pressure bandage as soon as possible, as firmly as for a sprained ankle, starting at the bite and binding the entire limb above it.
• Bind a rigid splint onto the limb to prevent movement.
• Seek medical attention, and keep the spider for identification if you safely can.
• Pressure immobilisation is for funnel-web and mouse spider bites only, not redback bites.

You can also contact the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice.

How to Reduce Spiders Around Your Home

You cannot remove every spider, but you can make your property less inviting and lower the chance of an unwanted encounter.

• Clear clutter, boxes and piles of wood or rubble from around the house.
• Seal gaps around doors, windows and pipes.
• Wear gloves when gardening or moving rocks, logs and stored items.
• Shake out shoes and gloves that have been stored outside.
• Keep rockeries and dense shrubbery tidy near doors and play areas.

Spider Control from Control Pest Management

Let the Control Pest Management team deal with the spiders on your property. Our technicians are licensed, fully insured and police checked, and our treatments are suitable for children and pets. See our spider control on the Gold Coast, or request a free quote. Call 1300 357 246.