Spitting Spider on Coringa Islet (S 16o 58’, E 149o54’)

By Dr Barbara Baher

Under the Octopus Bushes (Argusia argentia) on Coringa South-west Islet a slow crawling Spitting Spider (Scytodidae) surfaced on the litter. Spitting Spiders have long gangly legs and six eyes arranged in three groups. Called a Spitting Spider because of their bizarre prey capture method – they spit deadly glue onto their prey in a zig-zag shape to pin it down and paralyse it. Spitting Spiders are the spiders that produce silk in the front part of their body. A rapid contraction of the carapace muscles compresses the large venom gland that produces gluey silk.

A Spitting Spider collected at Coringa South-west Islet.

Scytodidae are pantropical and some of them are cosmopolitan species. The Australian Scytodid fauna is a not well known – all six described species have only old descriptions and no revision of this family has been done to date. I expect that at least 30 Australian Spitting Spider species exist.

We don’t know yet if this species from Coringa Islet is a cosmopolitan species or a rare new species who lives only on Coringa Islet.

Arachnologist Barbara Baehr and teacher Shellie Cashmore sift leaf litter looking for tiny spiders on East Diamond Islet.

Many spiders and other invertebrates colonised the marine debris that became grounded on land - Dr Barbara Baehr and Shellie Cashmore — Many spiders and other invertebrates colonised the marine debris that became grounded on land – Dr Barbara Baehr and Shellie Cashmore