Hadronyche cerberea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hadronyche cerberea | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Atracidae |
| Genus: | Hadronyche |
| Species: | H. cerberea |
| Binomial name | |
| Hadronyche cerberea Koch, 1873 | |
Hadronyche cerberea, the southern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider, is an extremely venomous mygalomorph spider found in central New South Wales, Australia.
German naturalist Ludwig Koch described the southern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider from a female spider collected in Sydney, and erected the genus Hadronyche in 1873. The type specimen was housed at the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart and destroyed during bombing in World War II. A neotype was subsequently selected in 2010 and is housed at the Australian Museum in Sydney.[1]
Description
The southern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider has a glossy black carapace, matte black or dark brown chelicerae and legs, and a light maroon-brown to dark brown abdomen.[1]
Distribution and habitat
The southern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider is found in eastern Australia from the Hunter River in central New South Wales to southern New South Wales. This and the northern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider (Hadronyche formidabilis) are the only two species of Australian funnel-web spiders that live predominantly in trees.[1]
It inhabits dry sclerophyll forest.[1]
In Tallaganda National Park and its surrounds in southeastern New South Wales, the southern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider co-occurs with the funnel-web species Atrax sutherlandi, which burrows exclusively in the soil, in contrast with the former species' preference for logs. Genetic analysis shows that the southern tree-dwelling funnel-web spider has recently rapidly spread through the area.[2]
