Sparassidae  Bertkau, 1872 / Heteropoda  Latreille, 1804   2 species

Heteropoda venatoria  (Linnaeus, 1767)

Description

Both eye rows recurved. Anterior median eyes smaller than anterior lateral eyes, posterior lateral eyes on vague elevations. Legs II much longer than remaining legs, leg position distinctly laterigrade, leg formula II-I-IV-III.

Body length male: 21 mm
Body length female: 17-34 mm
Additional information

Big, very quick spiders, in Central Europe only in warm houses, often also in storehouses (banana spider), but not able to survive here in the wild. Originally from Southeast Asia, cosmopolitically distributed today. Females carry the discus-shaped, 20-30 mm large cocoon, welcomed guests in houses in the tropics because they capture cockroaches and other insects.

This species can bite humans, usually when they try to catch or remove it with their hands. The bite causes pain, described as immediate and transient, disappearing already after a few minutes.

This species of Asian origin is not native to Europe (alien species). It had been introduced to Europe at least once and did establish.

Distribution
  Presence
  Not established
  No data
Global distribution (WSC 2024): Tropical Asia. Introduced to Pacific Is., North, Central and South America, Macaronesia, Europe, Africa
Phenology
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 male  female
Figures
Distribution List

"No references" does not mean that the species does not occur in this country, but that we have not yet inserted the reference for it. We are working on it.

Belgium   (no references) ||| Cyprus   (Kunt et al., 2021) ||| Czechia   (Buchar & Růžička, 2002) ||| Germany   (Blick et al., 2016) ||| Morocco   (Bosmans, unpubl.) ||| Netherlands   (van Helsdingen, 2015b) ||| Poland   (Rozwałka et al., 2013) ||| Switzerland   (no references) ||| United Kingdom   (Lavery, 2019; Wilson, 2012) |||
References

Blick T, Finch O-D, Harms K H, Kiechle J, Kielhorn K-H , Kreuels M, Malten A, Martin D, Muster C, Nährig D, Platen R, Rödel I, Scheidler M, Staudt A, Stumpf H, Tolke D (2016) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der Spinnen (Arachnida: Araneae) Deutschlands. 3. Fassung, Stand April 2008, einzelne Änderungen und Nachträge bis August 2015. Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt 70/4: 383-510 pdf

Bosmans R. (unpubl.) Provisional list of spiders of North Africa. Database excerpt Aug. 2019

Buchar J, Růžička V (2002) Catalogue of spiders of the Czech Republic. Peres Publishers, Praha, 351 pp. pdf

Helsdingen P J van (2015b) Binnenwandelende exoten. Nieuwsbrief SPINED 35: 33-34 pdf

Isbister G K, White J (2004) Clinical consequences of spider bites: recent advances in our understanding. Toxicon 43: 477-492 pdf

Jäger P (2000a) Selten nachgewiesene Spinnenarten aus Deutschland (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnologische Mitteilungen 19: 49-57 pdf

Kunt K B, Basat K, Özkütük R S (2021) A stowaway from Cyprus; Heteropoda venatoria Linnaeus, 1767 (Araneae, Sparassidae). Commagene Journal of Biology 5: 96-97 pdf

Lavery A (2019) A revised checklist of the spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Arachnology 18: 196-212 pdf

Rozwałka R, Rutkowski T, Bielak-Bielecki P (2013) New data on introduced and rare synanthropic spider species (Arachnida: Araneae) in Poland. Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Skłodowska, Lublin-Polonia 68: 127-150 pdf

Wilson R (2012) An American jumper in Leeds, west Yorkshire and an update on non-native taxa recorded in the UK. Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society 123: 10-15 pdf

WSC (2024) World Spider Catalog. Version 25.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (22.01.2024) doi: 10.24436/2 pdf

Updates
03-11-2022 Distribution update Detail
21-12-2021 Distribution update Detail
09-10-2021 Distribution update Detail
16-01-2021 Distribution update Detail
02-05-2020 Datasheet update Detail
21-09-2017 Distribution update Detail
05-09-2017 Distribution update Detail
03-02-2017 Image insert
13-05-2014 Distribution update Detail
10-12-2013 Distribution update Detail
26-11-2013 Datasheet update Detail