Longspinneret Spiders - Family: Hersiliidae
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Also known as Bark Spiders, Tree Trunk Spiders and Two-tailed Spiders, the Hersiliids are mostly found in warm to tropical climates around the world between 40 degrees North and 40 degrees South. Only a few species are found outside of that range. There are 188 species in 16 genera counted as of November 2023. They are easily recognised as they have a very long pair of spinnerets protruding from the abdomen which can be as long as the abdomen itself. Medium to large spiders, their size ranges between 10 - 18 mm.
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Furthermore the Hersiliids have quite long legs - the third pair excepted - which allow them to run very fast. They do not produce webs but rather they attach a tangle of threads to tree bark creating a sticky patch that may trap crawling insects. Once trapped the spider rushes over to encircle the prey with its' spinnerets and deposit silk over it. Nearly all Longspinneret Spiders are coloured and patterned so as to blend in with the bark they live on. When threatened they may rush quickly to the other side of the tree.
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Whereas uncommon, fossils of Hersiliid Spiders have been found - often trapped in amber - in a number of locations. Studies of these fossils suggest that Hersiliid Spiders appeared onto the scene close to 100 Mya. According to some palaeo-arachnologists they may have originated in Africa but, the study by Penney (2006) does not support that.
In Australia only species from the genera Hersilia and Tamopsis are encountered. The former are found in northern parts of W.A. and the N.T., as well as in the vicinity of some of our larger cities. The latter can be found Australia-wide. |
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Herilia sp. (possible occurrence)
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Tamopsis brachycauda
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Brisbane's Two-tailed Spider - Tamopsis brisbanensis
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Tamopsis eucalypti
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Fickert's Tamopsis - Tamopsis fickerti
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Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
> Infraorder: Entelegynea (Entelegyne Spiders)
> Superfamily: Eresoidea (Velvet, Flatmesh and Longspinneret Spiders)
> Family: Hersiliidae (Longspinneret Spiders)
> Genus: Hersilia ^
> Species: ?
> Genus: Tamopsis (Long-tailed Spiders)
> Species: T. brachycauda
> Species: T. brisbanensis - Brisbane's Two-tailed Spider
> Species: T. eucalypti
> Species: T. fickerti - Fickert's Tamopsis
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Szabó, M., Hammel, J.U., Harms, D., Kotthoff, U., Bodor, E., Novák, J., Kovács, K. and Ősi, A., 'First record of the spider family Hersiliidae (Araneae) from the Mesozoic of Europe (Bakony Mts, Hungary).' Cretaceous Research, Volume 131, 2022, 105097, ISSN 0195-6671, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105097.
> Penney, D., (2006). 'Tertiary Neotropical Hersiliidae (Arthropoda, Araneae) with new combinations for the extant fauna and comments on historical biogeography of the family.' Palaeontology. 49. 899 - 906. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00565.x.
> Wunderlich, J., (2015). 'On the evolution and the classification of spiders, the Mesozoic spider faunas, and descriptions of new Cretaceous taxa mainly in amber from Myanmar (Burma) (Arachnida: Araneae).' in: Wunderlich, J., (ed.), Mesozoic Spiders (Araneae): Ancient Spider Fauna and Spider Evoluion.' Beiträge zur Araneologie 9:21-408.
https://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=1482
https://ednieuw.home.xs4all.nl/australian/Hersiliidae/Hersiliidae.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_trunk_spider
> Szabó, M., Hammel, J.U., Harms, D., Kotthoff, U., Bodor, E., Novák, J., Kovács, K. and Ősi, A., 'First record of the spider family Hersiliidae (Araneae) from the Mesozoic of Europe (Bakony Mts, Hungary).' Cretaceous Research, Volume 131, 2022, 105097, ISSN 0195-6671, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105097.
> Penney, D., (2006). 'Tertiary Neotropical Hersiliidae (Arthropoda, Araneae) with new combinations for the extant fauna and comments on historical biogeography of the family.' Palaeontology. 49. 899 - 906. DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2006.00565.x.
> Wunderlich, J., (2015). 'On the evolution and the classification of spiders, the Mesozoic spider faunas, and descriptions of new Cretaceous taxa mainly in amber from Myanmar (Burma) (Arachnida: Araneae).' in: Wunderlich, J., (ed.), Mesozoic Spiders (Araneae): Ancient Spider Fauna and Spider Evoluion.' Beiträge zur Araneologie 9:21-408.
https://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=1482
https://ednieuw.home.xs4all.nl/australian/Hersiliidae/Hersiliidae.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_trunk_spider
Photographic contributions: