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Spiders
Spiders are familiar to all and feared by many, yet they are one of nature’s great evolutionary success stories. Queensland is home to a remarkable diversity of fascinating species.
Overview
Spiders (order Araneae) are one of nature's great evolutionary success stories, having evolved for over 300 million years, and occurring in most terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Today, spiders are one of the most biologically diverse lineages of life on Earth, with over 52,000 named species. Silk plays a central role in all aspects of a spider's life, and they have evolved to weave, burrow, abseil, swim, climb and parachute. Some can see with remarkable binocular vision, and many are masters of disguise, masquerading as ants, or camouflaging themselves in myriad ways. Spiders are most famous for the ability of many species to spin intricate silken webs, which they construct with astonishing precision and architectural flair. As the dominant predators of insects worldwide and as prey for other animals, spiders are of crucial ecological importance.
Unfortunately, spiders are simultaneously among the most feared yet also most misunderstood of creatures. In the public domain, much hyperbole exists around almost everything spider-related, most of which is unfounded, incorrect and often steeped in mythology. While nearly all spiders produce venom, only a very small handful of species pose any medical threat to humans. All are important predators, mostly of insects, with an amazing diversity of species, body forms, behaviours, life-histories and adaptations. For those who delve into the wonderful world of spiders, they are endlessly fascinating creatures.
Australia is home to two main groups of spiders — the mygalomorph spiders (trapdoors, tarantulas, funnel-webs and their kin) and the araneomorph spiders (all other species, including jumping, orb-weaving, comb-footed, wolf, huntsman and crab spiders, among many others). Both major groups are abundant and highly diverse in Queensland, although mygalomorph spiders are usually difficult to observe due to their generally sedentary, burrowing lifestyles. Araneomorph spiders, in contrast, include the most species by number and make up the majority of species observed by people on a daily basis.
Common questions
The Sydney Funnel-web Spider (Atrax robustus) is the most dangerous of Australia's spiders to humans. However, since the development of an anti-venom, there have been no recorded fatalities from a funnel-web bite. While several other species also have medically significant bites (e.g. redback, other funnel-web and mouse spiders), most of Australia's spiders pose no threat to humans. Contrary to popular belief, introduced daddy longlegs spiders are not dangerously venomous (irrespective of the size of their mouthparts)!
No. While all spiders produce silk, many species do not build silken capture webs. Some are sit-and-wait ambush predators (e.g. most mygalomorph, triangular and crab spiders), while others (e.g. jumping, huntsman and swift spiders) are active cursorial hunters on the ground or on vegetation, running down their prey with speed or quick reflexes.
This depends what is being measured! In terms of leg span, the Giant Golden Orb-weaving Spider or one of the huntsman spiders (e.g. Green-bellied Huntsman Spider or Giant Grey Huntsman Spider) would win. However, in terms of body size or weight, some very large mygalomorph spiders would qualify, namely certain species of tarantula, trapdoor spiders in the genera Gaius or Xamiatus, or the Tree Funnel-web Spider (Hadronyche formidabilis). Australia is also home to some of the world's smallest spiders, micro orb-weaving spiders in the genus Patu, which have a body length under one millimetre!
This is an interesting and important question, and indeed the Queensland Museum has a key role to play in describing Australia's rich spider fauna. As of 2024, there were approximately 4,100 named species of spider in Australia, although it is thought that this represents only 20–30% of the total, suggested to be 12,000–20,000 species. Many of these undescribed species are 'known unknowns'; museum scientists know that they exist (and are represented by specimens in museum collections), however the taxonomic research required to formally give these species a binomial scientific name has not yet been conducted. As of 2024, taxonomists have named over 52,000 spider species worldwide. For more information on the role of taxonomy, the work of taxonomists, and the importance of museum collections, see the Taxonomy Australia website.
Learn more
Mygalomorph spiders of Queensland
Explore the mygalomorph spider species found in Queensland.
Araneomorph spiders of Queensland
Explore the araneomorph spider species found in Queensland.
Spider anatomy and identification: mygalomorph or araneomorph?
Learn about the anatomy and identification of spiders.
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