Sydney funnel-web spider
edit | This Wikipedia page has been superseded by Portal:Animals and is retained primarily for historical reference. |
 | Note: Article entries are now being transcluded directly on the main portal page. However, this page should be retained for historical reference. |
The Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus, is an Australian funnel-web spider usually found within a 100 km (62 mi) radius of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Sydney funnel-webs are medium-to-large in size, with a body length ranging from 2 cm to 7 cm (0.9" to 3"). They are glossy and darkly coloured, ranging from blue-black to black to brown or dark-plum coloured. The carapace covering the cephalothorax is almost hairless and so appears smooth and glossy. The shorter lived males are smaller than females but longer legged. It is one of three species of the genus Atrax in the family Hexathelidae. The common name of the species is shared by other members of the genus Hadronyche, but it and the northern tree funnel-web are the only Australian funnel-web spiders known to have inflicted fatal bites to humans.