Selenocosmia stirlingi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Barking spider | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Theraphosidae |
| Genus: | Selenocosmia |
| Species: | S. stirlingi |
| Binomial name | |
| Selenocosmia stirlingi Hogg, 1901 | |
Selenocosmia stirlingi is a species of tarantula (family Theraphosidae) that is native to the arid regions of Australia. It is sometimes also referred to as a barking spider or whistling spider as this species, like many tarantulas, can stridulate to produce a "hissing" sound when disturbed or threatened.[1] This species is largely fossorial, living in burrows deep underground, however males are sometimes encountered during the breeding season.[citation needed]
This species was originally described by Henry R Hogg in 1901.[2] However, early research from 1894 had noted that this species could produce an audible sound.[1] Selenocosmia stirlingi is a member of the Selenocosmiinae subfamily, which is widespread throughout Australia and South-East Asia.[3]
Habitat
Barking spiders live in the Australian desert and are ambush predators from burrows placed among leaf litter or desert shrub. The entrance to the burrow is sometimes lined with spider silk. [4]
Prey
Barking spiders wait in their burrows for insects, lizards or frogs to come near the entrance before grasping and injecting venom into them.[4]
Predators
As it is a small animal, the barking spider has quite a lot of predators even in the desert. Some of these include owls, dingoes and feral cats.[citation needed]