The Most Common Spiders Found in Australia

Indentify Common Spider Species in Australia

Australia is a diverse country, which by far extends to the realms of the animal kingdom.

In addition to the cute and furry kangaroos and koalas, this country is also famous for being home to numerous creepy crawlies.

But is there any reason for you to worry?

With caution and common sense, these spiders are not as much of a worry as they used to be.

Thanks for places like the Australian Reptile Park who have been producing anti-venom for over 30 years, saving many lives in the process.

No spider species has any recorded deaths for the last two decades. So that’s good news!

Here is our guide to the most common Australian spiders.

Spiders Commonly Found Indoors (House Spiders)

The most common Australian spiders found indoors include:

1. Cupboard spiders (The Brown House Spider)

• Scientific Name: Steatoda Grossa
• Appearance: They are brown in color, with a body length ranging from 8-12 mm.
• Lifecycle: They have a lifespan of about one year, and reproduce by laying eggs in a silk sac.
• Habits: They are commonly found in homes and buildings, hiding in dark, undisturbed areas such as cupboards, basements and roof voids. They are harmless to humans.

The cupboard spider is are small and dark, sometimes mistaken for redback spiders. You can find them all over the country. In terms of size they can reach up to 1.4 centimetres in length. As the name suggests, they love hiding in dark and undisturbed areas like the cupboard. They’re not lethal and considered harmless. However, their bites can result in discomfort and inflammation, and occasionally trigger perspiration and feelings of nausea.

They build untidy and tangled webs in areas like under eaves, on walls, around garage doors, among old furniture, and junk stored in garages or sheds, among other places. Although they are mostly indoor dwellers, these spiders also build their webs under rocks, under garden benches, upturned flowerpots, around compost bins – pretty much everywhere!

2. Redback Spider

• Scientific Name: Latrodectus hasselti
• Appearance: They are black in color, with a distinctive red hourglass shape on their abdomen. Body length is about 10 mm.
• Lifecycle: The redback spider has a common life cycle, passing through egg, spiderling, immature and mature stages before adulthood. Upon hatching, the spiderlings disperse from the egg sac in search of food. As they grow larger and more mature, they seek out web sites. During adulthood, redback spiders reach full size and mate before laying eggs and dying. The entire lifecycle usually lasts between three months to two years.
• Habits: They are commonly found in Australia, hiding in dark, undisturbed areas such as sheds, toilets, and garages. They are venomous to humans and their bite can cause serious symptoms. See how section below on treating spider bites.

The Redback is the most common and famous Australian spider. It is small and shiny black with a red or orange stripe on the back. This spider loves hiding in dark corners, wheelie-bin handles and under toilet seats.

Although a redback is reluctant to bite, it will do so if you unknowingly threaten it.

While its bite may spread sluggishly, it establishes itself as a bundle of discomfort, characterised by inflammation, pain, and a host of other distinct side effects. Such as muscle twitches and perspiration.

Their bites do not often need hospitalisation, but it is worth getting medical help immediately because they can be fatal, especially if it is a female redback.

3. Daddy Long Legs

• Scientific Name: Pholcus phalangioides
• Appearance: They are light brown or grey in color, with a body length ranging from 5-15 mm. They have long, thin legs.
• Lifecycle: Daddy long legs (Pholcidae) have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The female lays eggs in small crevices or on webbing she has spun. The eggs hatch into larvae which leave the web to seek a safe place where they can molt five times into larger forms. After the fifth molt, the larvae become pupae and transform into adults with wings. Adult daddy long legs then mate and lay more eggs to begin the cycle all over again.
• Habits: Daddy long legs typically live in dark and damp places, such as underneath rocks or in cavities. They can be found near sources of water, like streams, wells and springs. Daddy long legs do not live in colonies like some other spiders but often hunt together, creating communal webs to capture more prey. They’re harmless to humans.

Daddy long legs spiders (Cellar spider) have long thin limbs, and some exceed 20 millimetres. They are the most common spider you will probably find in the house. These web-weavers are fond of hiding under furniture and sometimes up high near the roof. Their bodies are tiny, and their legs are super thin, which makes it hard for you to identify them.

Since their venom is entirely harmless, many people do not bother to dislodge them until they look untidy. Ironically, they are good at catching and feeding on other spiders – including the deadly redbacks.

4. White-Tailed Spider

• Scientific Name: Lampona cylindrata
• Appearance: They are dark grey or brown in color, with a white spot on the tip of their abdomen. Body length ranges from 10-20 mm.
• Lifecycle: The White-tailed Spider is found all around Australia. Its lifecycle begins with an egg sac, which can have up to 200 eggs in it. The baby spider hatches after about 30 days and go through several moults as they grow. Females build webs near their egg sacs where they live and hunt until they reach adulthood. At the end of their lives, females lay one more egg sac before dying.
• Habits: They are nocturnal hunters that actively search for prey at night. They feed on other spiders and insects, using their long fangs to inject toxic venom into their prey.

The white tail spider is typically recognised for its signature snowy-colored marking at the tips of its legs.

But most of their body is grey or dark red. Some white-tailed spiders have orange band stripes on their legs.

Surprisingly, they do not make webs and (like the Daddy long legs) are known for feasting on other spiders such as the Redbacks or the Black House Spider. They are fond of hiding in folds of clothing. Their bites can be painful and irritating. Sometimes the bites can cause headaches and nausea, but go away within 24 hours.

5. Huntsman Spider

• Scientific Name: Heteropoda venatoria
• Appearance: They are brown or grey in color, with a body length ranging from 15-30 mm. They have long legs and a flat body.
• Lifecycle: The Huntsman Spider has a very short life cycle of one to two years. The female usually lays its eggs in summer and the young hatch during winter.
• Habits: The spiders can be found on walls, ceilings, woodpiles, and leaf litter. They have impressive hunting skills, relying on their extraordinary vision and sense of touch to detect prey. They also produce a distinct web with sticky threads that entangles and traps their prey. Huntsman spiders also travel long distances by riding air currents. They are venomous but their bite is not considered dangerous to humans. You may notice some localised swelling and mild pain.

Huntsman spiders are widespread inhabitants of Australia. These eight-legged explorers prefer cozy hideouts within and around homes, ignoring the typical spider web-making affairs. True to their name, they are hunters — prowling about for food, primarily under the cloak of night.

They sport a body that typically measures between 2-3 centimetres in length, accompanied by relatively long legs that extend about 6 centimetres.

Known for their timid nature, Huntsman spiders can make a swift dash away from any threat, managing to move up to a meter per second!

If their company doesn’t send shivers down your spine, these eight-legged guests can be a homeowner’s ally. They possess a ravenous appetite for local insect populations and have a taste for dining on other spider species.

Spiders Commonly Found Outdoors

1. Garden Orb Weaving Spider

• Scientific Name: Eriophora sp.
• Appearance: They are brown or grey in color, with a body length ranging from 8-20 mm. They are known for their large, circular webs.
• Lifecycle: The Garden Orb Spider has a life cycle of one year. Female Garden Orb Spiders build large circular webs and wait for prey to get tangled up in their web. They are solitary spiders, each tending to its own web.
• Habits: During the day they conceal themselves under leaves or sticks, coming out at night to hunt. During mating season males wander away from the female’s web in search of her. When they find her they make a nuptial gift of food before mating with her.

The Garden orb spider are common in South Australia.

Their body takes on the shape of a leaf, complemented by legs that tend to be more substantial than those seen on other spiders. So much so, one could easily confuse them for a patch of grass or rogue weeds!

They tend to build massive webs. Constructing a new one every day, which can inadvertently cause issues for you. These webs can ruin the aesthetics of your property if you do not take action quickly. Garden orb spiders usually build their webs through open parts of the garden and anchor them to nearby bushes and trees.

At times, the spider web can be strategically spun right across a footpath, so you might just walk into it, with the spider conveniently perched at around face level!

Luckily, they’re not particularly eager biters, and their bites usually result in only minor pain and puffiness, occasionally accompanied by slight nausea or unease.

2. Wolf Spider

• Scientific Name: Lycosidae
• Appearance: They are brown or grey in color, with a body length ranging from 10-35 mm. They have long legs and a hairy body.
• Lifecycle: This spider species has an average life span of one to two years. The females carry their eggs in a special sack on the spinnerets until they hatch. Once the young spiders hatch, they climb onto the mother’s back and stay there for some time before venturing out into the world on their own.
• Habits: They are solitary, nocturnal hunters that use their excellent sense of touch and sight to track down prey. They can run at an astonishing speed of 1.5 meters per second.

They are similar to the Huntsman’s in that they do not build webs but instead move around hunting for meals. Wolf spiders are also available Australia-wide. They like hiding amongst decaying ground matter and moss and feed on insects and small ground-dwelling critters.

Unlike the Huntsman, these species love sticking to the ground, and you are like to spot them in and around your lawn or garden, particularly among leafy debris. Their body is about 1.5-3 centimetres long. They are known for their thick stripes on the front and abdomen.

At a glance, the wolf spider can appear intimidating.

However, their bites are not lethal and only cause mild reactions. These include swelling, itching, and potentially some nausea or dizziness.

3. Saint Andrew’s Cross Spider

• Scientific Name: Argiope keyserlingi
• Appearance: They are yellow and black in color, with a body length ranging from 10-20 mm. They are known for their distinctive, cross-shaped webs.
• Lifecycle: The Saint Andrew’s Spider has a simple yet extraordinary life cycle. They hatch from eggs in the spring, spending the summer and autumn months growing larger and stronger. They die during winter as they can’t tolerate cold temperatures.
• Habits: Their unique habit is to spin an X-shaped web, which they use to catch their prey while also providing them with protection from predators.

Noted for their creative flair, Saint Andrew’s cross spiders delight in weaving expansive webs stretching across open spaces between shrubs and trees.

It is easy to identify them as they make webs with massive and highly distinctive strips (lace-like webs) in an X pattern in the middle.

Usually, you can spot the spider placidly positioned at the very center of this X pattern, often with its eight legs expertly positioned in the form of a cross.

Their bodies have visually striking patterns for reflecting UV light to attract insects.

Like the Garden orb weaving spider, they are reluctant to bite. Their bite is not dangerous but can cause some pain and discomfort – similar to a bee sting!

4. Black House Spider

• Scientific Name: Badumna sp.
• Appearance: They are black or dark brown in color, with a body length ranging from 8-20 mm.
• Lifecycle: Black House Spiders typically live for around 1-2 years. They spawn their eggs in the late spring and summer, and the eggs hatch a few weeks later. The young spiders molt several times before becoming mature adults.
• Habits: They spin large webs around windows and corners of homes which they use to catch their prey.

The black house spider is less than 2 centimetres long. Though some species can be bigger and similar to the Funnel Webs.They take delight in dwelling near human residences, weaving distinctively quirky webs that take a curved and funnel-esque silhouette. Also, they tend to choose one area for their home and stay there most of the time, repairing their web when and as they see fit.

Their bites may lead to discomfort and inflammation, occasionally perspiration and nausea, but do not pose any serious danger.

They aren’t usually offenders either and will opt for a swift escape unless their lives are directly threatened.

5. Funnel Web Spider (Sydney Funnel Web Spiders)

• Scientific Name: Atrax robustus
• Appearance: They are black or dark brown in color, with a body length ranging from 25-35 mm. They have a bulky body and short legs.
• Lifecycle: The Sydney funnel-web spider is an Australian arachnid that is a part of the Hexathelidae family. This spider has a range of habitats, but mainly lives in the eastern parts of Australia. The lifecycle for this species begins with eggs, which are laid by the female over summer and hatch into spiderlings in autumn. As adults, these spiders live primarily underground during winter and above ground during summer to mate.
• Habits: They feed on insects and other arthropods, which they actively hunt at night, injecting venom through their fangs to immobilize prey. They are highly venomous to humans and their bite can cause serious pain or death if left untreated.

 

The Funnel Web Spider is known for its substantial size. Rnking amongst the largest spider species. Their bodies can reach hefty lengths of 20-35 millimetres. These robust arachnids are a common household sight in New South Wales, but their presence extends to various other regions too.

Like the Redbacks, the Funnel-web spiders are dangerous. They have deadly venom and tend to get aggressive when threatened. What is more, their fangs are large enough to bite through shoe leather!

Bites from Funnel-web spiders can be agonizing and their venom acts swiftly. They’re also known to trigger a strange medley of side effects including tearing, drooling, goosebumps, muscle twitching, confusion, and an increased heartbeat.

Call 000 (triple zero) immediately if you are bitten.

6. Mouse Spider

• Scientific Name: Missulena occatoria
• Appearance: They are brown or black in color, with a body length ranging from 20-35 mm. They have a bulky body and short legs.
• Lifecycle: These are unique arachnids that go through three main life stages. Egg, immature, and adult. Each stage typically lasts a few months. As adults, they usually live for up to two years.
• Habits: Mice spiders have several unusual habits, such as stringing together leaves to build their webs and using their long hindlegs to jump more than 30 times their body length. They also flick their web to lure prey and use vibrations in the air for communication.

These hefty, ebony creatures are quite a sight to behold. Contrasting with the Funnel-web spiders, mouse spiders sport a more lustrous carapace along with an enlarged head and jaw.

They’re a common spectacle in numerous urban locales, notably the west and south coastlines.

Mouse spiders have a distinct fang from their regularly dark body. The fang can grow up to 35 millimetres long. Contrary to what some people believe, their bites can be relatively harmful, causing symptoms such as serious pain and sometimes severe poisoning. Luckily, they are reluctant biters and are not lethal like Funnel-web and Redbacks.

7. Trapdoor Spider

• Scientific Name: Ctenizidae
• Appearance: They are brown or black in color, with a body length ranging from 20-35 mm. They have a bulky body and short legs.
• Lifecycle: Their lifecycle begins with egg sacs, which hatch into larvae, molt several times before reaching adulthood, mate and start the cycle again. Trapdoor spiders can live up to 25 years (and even longer) and can remain in their burrows for extended periods of time during periods of drought.
• Habits: Trapdoor spiders are small to medium-sized spiders that build a burrow in the ground and then line it with silk to keep predators out. They have a variety of methods for capturing prey such as waiting inside the burrow or trapping them on the surface.

They are large, furry, and black spiders (sometimes) confused for the Funnel-web. Trapdoor spiders are known for their distinct way of constructing their webs – tube-shaped burrows with a hatch at the entrance. That allows them to ambush their prey.

If you do not take action quickly, they can turn your home exterior unsightly. But despite their intimidating look, Trapdoor spiders are relatively harmless. Their bites generally cause localised pain and swelling.

Note

The Trapdoor spiders and other large species are easily confused with the deadly Redback and Funnel-web spiders. Therefore, unless an expert verifies a spider as a Trapdoor or any other type, you should treat the bite like a Funnel-web or Redback bite. Call triple zero immediately.

What Do I Do If I Get Bitten?

Although bites are rare, you should be prepared. Knowing what to do when accidents happen (unfortunately) can save lives.

Learning first aid can provide a solid grounding in recognising and responding to someone that has been bitten.

Medical professionals often classify bites into three categories for better treatment. They base this classification on whether the biting might be a Redback or Funnel-web. Here is what to do in case of spider bites you:

Redback bites

Wash the area. Place an ice pack around the bite spot to minimise pain and swelling.

Consult with your local doctor if it is painful.

Funnel-web or any big black spider bite

Your immediate action should be to dial 000 for help. While waiting, apply a pressure bandage over the bite spot to slow the circulation of venom. Try your best to stay stationary and maintain composure.

Other Bites 

You only need to use an ice pack around the bite spot to reduce pain and swelling. Painkillers like paracetamol can also help to ease symptoms. Seek medical assistance if the symptoms worsen.

Generally, you should seek medical attention if you get bitten. If possible, put the spider in a container and seal it for easy identification. Or you can take a photo of it. If that is not possible, try as much as possible to describe the spider to your medical personnel. Explain features like the patterning, size, colour, and where and when it bit you.

How Can I Prevent a Spider Bite?

Prevention is better than cure.

None of us wants to experience a spider bite because some can cause severe symptoms and even death.

There are things we should always do to minimise the risk of being bitten. They include but are not limited to the following:

• Always check your bedding, if it is on or near the floor.
• Shake out your wetsuits, shoes or clothes that you have not worn for a while before wearing them on (especially if you have left them outside)
• Avoid leaving towels or clothes on the floor.
• Wear shoes when you are outside, particularly at night
• Wear gloves whenever you are doing any gardening
• Be sure to check your gloves for spiders before putting them on. Stomp on the gloves to help squash any spiders that may be hiding in them.
• Remove everything from under the bed. That will make it difficult for spiders to access your bed – the only way to get there would be for them to crawl up one of the bed legs.
• If you see a spider in a swimming pool, do not assume it has drowned. Some spiders can survive off the air bubbles attached to their leg hairs for hours. For example, the Funnel-web is referred to as the Aussie pool scuba diver as it can survive in the water for a long time. Therefore, fish any spider off with a pool net to avoid a bite underwater.
• Most spiders will rarely bite you unless they realise their lives are in danger. If you see spiders in your house, remove them carefully without provoking them. You might need to read our article on How to Treat a Spider Infestation if you have too many spiders on your property.

FAQ’s

What is the most dangerous spider in Sydney?

The most dangerous species is the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider.

It is regarded as one of the most deadly spiders in the world due to its potent venom. This venom contains a toxin that can highly affect the nervous system and lead to serious medical conditions or even death if not treated promptly. So if you spot this venomous creepy crawly its best to contact a pro whos offers spider control in Sydney.

Final Thoughts

Spiders are a common sight in Australia, but they don’t have to be feared.

They may look strange and spooky, but they play an important role in the environment.

Knowing more about spiders can help us appreciate their unique beauty and understand why it’s important to protect them.

We must respect these remarkable creatures and strive to create a world where they can live and thrive in harmony with humans.

Do you have a spider problem that needs controlling? Talk the spider experts at Pro Pest Control for free advice.