Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)

The huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria (L.), sometimes called the giant crab spider or the banana spider (due to its occasional appearance in marketed bananas), is a cosmotropical species introduced into and now occurring in the U.S., in subtropical areas of Florida, Texas, and California. It is...

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Main Author: Glavis B. Edwards, Jr.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries 2003-10-01
Series:EDIS
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Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/109099
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author Glavis B. Edwards, Jr.
author_facet Glavis B. Edwards, Jr.
author_sort Glavis B. Edwards, Jr.
collection DOAJ
description The huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria (L.), sometimes called the giant crab spider or the banana spider (due to its occasional appearance in marketed bananas), is a cosmotropical species introduced into and now occurring in the U.S., in subtropical areas of Florida, Texas, and California. It is presumed to have been introduced from Asia, where many of its closest relatives live (Gertsch 1948). It has sometimes been mistaken for a large brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik, family Loxoscelidae), a poisonous spider, but it is neither related nor is it dangerous. Some authors place this spider in the family Heteropodidae, due to the uncertainty of the name Sparassidae (Platnick and Levi 1973). This document is EENY-160 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 205), one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: October 2000. Revised: July 2003 EENY-160/IN317: Pantropical Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae) (ufl.edu)
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spelling doaj-art-71b8a2de9e934beb93901a44e1d23b532025-02-08T06:28:55ZengThe University of Florida George A. Smathers LibrariesEDIS2576-00092003-10-01200316Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)Glavis B. Edwards, Jr. The huntsman spider, Heteropoda venatoria (L.), sometimes called the giant crab spider or the banana spider (due to its occasional appearance in marketed bananas), is a cosmotropical species introduced into and now occurring in the U.S., in subtropical areas of Florida, Texas, and California. It is presumed to have been introduced from Asia, where many of its closest relatives live (Gertsch 1948). It has sometimes been mistaken for a large brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik, family Loxoscelidae), a poisonous spider, but it is neither related nor is it dangerous. Some authors place this spider in the family Heteropodidae, due to the uncertainty of the name Sparassidae (Platnick and Levi 1973). This document is EENY-160 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 205), one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: October 2000. Revised: July 2003 EENY-160/IN317: Pantropical Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae) (ufl.edu) https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/109099IN317
spellingShingle Glavis B. Edwards, Jr.
Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)
EDIS
IN317
title Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)
title_full Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)
title_fullStr Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)
title_full_unstemmed Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)
title_short Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae)
title_sort huntsman spider heteropoda venatoria linnaeus arachnida araneae sparassidae
topic IN317
url https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/109099
work_keys_str_mv AT glavisbedwardsjr huntsmanspiderheteropodavenatorialinnaeusarachnidaaraneaesparassidae