Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

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Calendar

Upcoming Events

National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Family Sparassidae - Huntsmen Spiders

Representative Images

Huntsman spider - Heteropoda venatoria - female Wolf Spider?? - Heteropoda venatoria - male huntsman spider? - Heteropoda venatoria voucher images - Curicaberis peninsulanus - female Spider ID Request - Olios giganteus Curicaberis - Curicaberis - male - female Curicaberis? - Curicaberis Male, Olios giganteus? - Olios giganteus - male

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Entelegynae)
Family Sparassidae (Huntsmen Spiders)

Other Common Names

Giant Crab Spiders

Numbers

5 genera in BugGuide's range (North America north of Mexico).

Size

7.0-50.0 mm(1)

Identification

Not diagnostic, but some helpful features:(1)
2 claws
8 eyes
Legs laterigrade
Similar spiders often smaller (less than 10.0 mm)

Range

Curicaberis - four species, southern states.
Decaphora - one species, Decaphora cubana, introduced to Florida from Cuba.
Heteropoda - one species, H. venatoria, introduced to the Gulf States & California.
Macrinus - one species, M. mohavensis, known only from San Bernardino County, CA.
Olios - one species Olios giganteus, southwestern USA.

Food

Ambush predators.

See Also

Zoropsidae
Philodromidae
Selenops

Internet References

World Spider Catalog
iNaturalist
GBIF

Works Cited

1.Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual
D. Ubick, P. Paquin, P.E. Cushing and V. Roth (eds). 2005. American Arachnological Society.
Contributed by john and jane balaban on 10 September, 2004 - 4:28pm
Additional contributions by Lynette Elliott, Jeff Hollenbeck, Mandy Howe, metrioptera, Laura P., Nathaniel Green
Last updated 5 September, 2022 - 10:08am

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