Spitting Spider: Scytodes thoracica

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer, February

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Family: Scytodidae 

Genus: Scytodes

Scytodes thoracica

This Spitting Spider was found inside the house on the ceiling. The spider has a freckled pattern resembling leopard spots. It has 3 pairs of eyes instead of 4 as seen in other spiders. The abdomen and cephalothorax slope towards the opposite sides making it hard to tell the front and back of the spider. This may be to confuse its predators. The legs are very long and the spider moves slowly, if at all it moves during the day. It hunts during the night. Hunting technique is unique to these spiders. They spit venom on the prey, entangling it in a sticky crisscrossed web. 

Spiders from the same family, known as Recluse Spiders are venomous. The species Loxosceles cause Loxoscelism resulting in skin necrosis in humans, only known necrotic arachnidism. However genus Scytodes does not cause any human envenomation.

Reference: Wikipedia Wikipedia Arachne 

Striped Jumping Spider: Telamonia dimidiata

Location: Bangalore, India

Season: Early Winter, November

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Suborder: Araneomorphae 

Family: Salticidae

Telamonia dimidiata

This spider was the subject of an online hoax where it was rumoured to be deadly due to its poisonous bite. Striped Jumping Spider is non venomous and is not dangerous to humans. It is often found on green foliage, easily recognisable by the striped abdomen. The above pictured is a female which has a lighter coloured body with light brown rings around the black eyes.   

Garden Jumping Spider: Opisthoncus parcedentatus

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia 

Season: Summer 

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Suborder: Araneomorphae 

Family: Salticidae 

Genus: Opisthoncus

Opisthoncus parcedentatus

Genus Opisthoncus, of the family Salticidae has 25 described species in Australia and many non described ones. They are all Common Garden Jumping Spiders. O. parcedentatus is a common species found in Australia. It is usually seen on the leaves, trees and green foliage. The shape of the abdomen and cephalothorax are characteristic. The dark brown abdomen has white markings with one longitudinal stripe running along the midline of the dorsum. There are white marking on the cephalothorax too. There is a thin white moustache on the clypeus. There is an orange horizontal stripe on which the eyes seem to be arranged. It has 8 eyes for a 360 degree view. Its vision and movement are helped by very mobile joint between the cephalohorax and abdomen. It lifts its head and scans behind to look for food and danger. 

The above spider was found on undersurface of a leaf. It was 5mm in length. It was very agile and actively jumping. Jumping spiders don't weave webs and wander from place to place. They are active predators of other tiny insects. 

Reference: Brisbane Insects

Find-A-Spider

Cyclops Jumping Spider: Opisthoncus polyphemus

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Summer

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Suborder: Araneomorphae

Family: Salticidae

Genus: Opisthoncus

Opisthoncus polyphemus

Opisthoncus polyphemus is a spider belonging to the family of jumping spiders, Salticidae. Attached to the pale abdomen, it has a cephalothorax with prominent brownish red round spots. These spots make the eyes look bigger than they are. Even though it has eight eyes, it is called a cyclops because each eye is made prominent by a circular spot. The name of the species is derived from Polyphemus of Greek mythology who was one of the Cyclopses described in Homer's epic poem, Odessy. 

This jumping spider is about 5 to 6 mm in length. It is found is dry vegetation with abundant eucalyptus trees. It is a diurnal spider which is highly mobile and feeds on insects and other small spiders.

Reference: Arachne.org.au

Note: Opisthoncus is a genera of Salticidae which means backwards lump (opistho = backwards, as in opisthotonus) probably referring to the abdomen behind the cephalothorax (citation needed)

Green Orb Weaver: Araneus psittacinus Complex

Location: Bunbury

Season: Summer, February

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Suborder: Araneomorphae 

Family: Araneidae

Araneus psittacinus complex

This tiny green spider was found in a crevice of a car window in a parking lot. It can be presumed that this spider was actually a transfer from a region of green foliage where this spider was taking shelter. It has a tiny body measuring about 3 mm. The green abdomen has two pairs of proximally placed punctate marks. The small cephalothorax and the shape of the abdomen is characteristic of the family Araneidae, the family of Orb Weaving Spiders. This particular spider resembles Eriophora circulissparsus, previously placed in the genus Araneus. Given the geographic location of this particular spider, it could very well be Araneus eburneiventris. But because of the vast variation within the genera (and even species) and constant revision of taxonomy, it can safely be placed in A. psittacinus complex.

This spider is nocturnal. It weaves a web each night and destroys it in the morning, taking refuge by disguising itself in the nearby green foliage during the day.

Reference: Flickr 
Find-a-spider 

Wheel weaving spiders

Dew Drop Spider: Argyrodes antipodianus

Macro image of Dew Drop Spider
3 mm in length
Conical Silvery abdomen
Black line along the dorsum
Banded black legs
Not possible to tell the sex from the picture.

Location: Big Swamp Wildlife Park, Bunbury

Season: Late Winter, Early Spring

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneomorphae 

Family: Theridiidae 

Genus: Argyrodes 

A. antipodianus

This little spider is easily identified by the silver coloured conically shaped abdomen. There is a black stripe running along the dorsum. These morphological characteristics give this spider the appearance of a shiny dew drop, hence the name. The dew drop shape helps it procure food. It disguises itself as a dew drop and occupies the web of other spiders and steals their prey. It is a kleptoparasite. It only weaves a weak web for itself. It usually occupies the web of Orb Weavers and feed on the prey caught by the Orb Weavers. It also sometimes eats the host spider when it is incapacitated during moulting.

Dew Drop Spiders are found all over the world and Australia.

Reference: Atlas Of Living Australia

Australian Jewel Spider: Austracanthus Minax

Austracanthus minax female in its web

Austracanthus minax 
Female

Macro Image of Austracanthus minax 
Ventral side

Macro Image of Austracanthus minax 
showing the abdominal pattern

Location: Lake Clifton

Season: Summer

Class: Arachnida 

Order: Araneae 

Suborder: Araneomorphae 

Family: Araneidae

Austracanthus minax

Austracanthus minax is an easily recognisable spider in Australia. It is called Australian Jewel Spider, given its beautiful patterns. It is abundant during Summer and often associated with the arrival of Christmas, therefore also called Christmas Spider. The genus Austracanthus has just one species with 5 subspecies. 

These spiders weave orbs in and around shrubby regions. They are present in aggregations of vast numbers. There are so many that you look up to find the sky is studded with these spiders like stars in the sky with webs ranging among many trees. They are most abundant in November and December (around Lake Clifton) and their numbers start dwindling by January. 

These spiders have beautiful yellow, orange and white patterns over shiny black abdomen and very distinctive six black spines. The patterns are variable from spider to spider (polymorphic). The above pictures are of three different spiders, taken on three different occasions showing the variable pattern. They have short stubby legs. The females have reddish brown legs whereas males have black legs with brown tips (all the above spiders are females). The underside of the abdomen is black with  concentric yellow patterns. There are morphs that are completely black without the bright coloured patterns. The black forms increase in number during colder months.

Having well developed mouth parts, these spiders can bite but they are not life threatening for humans.