Tunnel Spiders - Family: Segestriidae
Also known as Tube-dwelling Spiders the Segestriidae are medium-sized to very large spiders with six eyes and legs suited for their habit of living in tubes or tunnels. They are robustly built spiders with large, prominent chelicerae, an elongated cephalothorax and abdomen and short , sturdy legs, three pairs of which are set in a forward direction. It is this leg positioning that gives them away as Segestriids. There are currently 179 species in five genera in two subfamilies. (note that neither 'iNaturalist' nor the 'Atlas of Living Australia' mentions these subfamilies.)
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Tunnel Spiders are ambush hunters that spent most of their time in their shelter. They may dig into the ground or use existing fissures in rocks or tree bark to create a silk-lined tubular tunnel for themselves. Some species extend short thickened silk radii, connected to the tube-structure and/or a loose tangle of signal lines a short distance from the opening of the tunnel, the former of which may serve as anchors and the latter as a warning system to alert the spider to the proximity of possible prey. When so alerted the spider may suddenly rush out of the tunnel to seize the prey and immobilise it.
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Many Tunnel Spiders are quite large and are in possession of formidable chelicerae and fangs. Despite that they are not considered dangerous; they are not ususally aggressive and their bite, even if painful, should not present any other issues other than localised swelling and discomfort. Any bite from one of these spiders - like any other spider or insect bite - should be treated though so as to prevent a secondary infection.
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Family: Segestriidae
Subfamily: Ariadninae
Ariadna octospinata (possible occurrence)
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Subfamily: Segestriinae
Gippsicola robusta
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Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
> Infraorder: Haplogynae (Haplogyne Spiders)
> Superfamily: Dysderoidea (Goblin-, Tunnel Spiders and Allies)
> Family: Segestriidae (Tunnel Spiders)
> Subfamily: Ariadninae
> Genus: Ariadna (Tube-web Spiders)
> Species: A. octospinata ^
> Subfamily: Segestriinae
> Genus: Gippsicola
> Species: G. robusta
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Wunderlich, J., (2020). 'New and already described fossil spiders (Araneae) of 20 families in mid and late Cretaceous Burmese Ambers, with notes on spider phylogeny, evolution and classification.' Beiträge zur Araneologie 13: 22-164.
https://arachnids.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/54/descriptions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube-dwelling_spider
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/family/85/Segestriidae
> Wunderlich, J., (2020). 'New and already described fossil spiders (Araneae) of 20 families in mid and late Cretaceous Burmese Ambers, with notes on spider phylogeny, evolution and classification.' Beiträge zur Araneologie 13: 22-164.
https://arachnids.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/54/descriptions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube-dwelling_spider
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/family/85/Segestriidae
Photographic contributions: