Atrax sutherlandi is a species of Australian funnel-web spider found in forests on the far southern coast of New South Wales and in eastern Victoria. It was named after Struan Sutherland, whose work resulted in a successful funnel-web spider antivenom.[2]
| Atrax sutherlandi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male and female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Atracidae |
| Genus: | Atrax |
| Species: | A. sutherlandi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Atrax sutherlandi | |
Normally, A. sutherlandi has a glossy black back and chelicerae ("fangs"), as well as a deep-brown or plum-coloured underbelly. An adult grows to a length of 2 inches (5 cm). A report in 2015 described an unusual individual with a blood-red belly and chelicerae.[3] Unlike its close relative the Sydney funnel web that lives in urban areas, A. sutherlandi commonly resides in remote areas, thus posing little danger to the public.[4]
Due to the niche microhabitat of the Atrax sutherlandi, species divergence can easily occur when there is minor change in the environment. [5]
References
edit- ^ "Taxon details Atrax sutherlandi Gray, 2010", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 11 March 2016
- ^ Gray, Michael R. (24 November 2010). "A revision of the Australian funnel-web spiders (Hexathelidae: Atracinae)" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 62 (3): 285–392. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.62.2010.1556. ISSN 0067-1975.
- ^ "Mysterious Spider With Blood-Red Fangs Found in Australia". National Geographic. 3 September 2015. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ Beavis, Amber (December 2011). "Microhabitat preferences drive phylogeographic disparities in two Australian funnel web spiders". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 104 (4): 805–819. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01753.x – via Web of Science.
- ^ Biological Journal of the Linnean Society., 104(4), 805–819. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2011.01753.x