Recent Posts Tagged With 'arachnids'

• Ticks on Blue-tongue Lizard

  Posted on Thursday December 3rd, 2009 at 05:10 in reptiles, backyard, arachnids

  This Blotched blue-tongue Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) was found here in my backyard. Closer inspection showed it to be covered in ticks, mostly at the back of the neck as well as in the axilla or armpit.One fully gorged tick was actually causing the ...

• Spider Takes Earwig

  Posted on Sunday November 16th, 2008 at 14:47 in backyard, arachnids

  .....Walk into my parlour With the temperature down to about 4 degrees last night there was not much happening at the moth trap. I soon found that all the action was happening inside when I spotted this spider in the bathroom window. It had just caug...

• A Jumping Spider

  Posted on Thursday September 25th, 2008 at 23:53 in backyard, arachnids

  .....named GrouchoAll I can say about this one is that it is a Jumping Spider of the family Salticidae, and that it certainly lives up to it's reputation. With a total body length of only around 5mm-6mm it managed an amazing jump of about 40mm - 50mm...

• Shield Spider / Badge Huntsman

  Posted on Tuesday September 23rd, 2008 at 21:17 in backyard, arachnids

  .....Neosparassus diana (Koch, 1875)This spider of the Sparassidae family is known as the Shield spider or Badge Hunstman. It hunts at night, usually on tree trunks and among foliage. By day it will be hidden away under some loose bark or even under ...

• Gum-footed Tangle-web Spiders

  Posted on Monday September 22nd, 2008 at 21:52 in backyard, arachnids

  .....family TheridiidaeThe spider family Theridiidae gets it's common name from the structure of the webs. An apparent chaotic tangle, the web is in fact an ingenious trap consisting of vertically stretched threads that are attached to the ground wi...

• Australian Jumping Spider

  Posted on Wednesday September 17th, 2008 at 23:28 in arachnids

  .....Breda jovialisThe Hunter Becomes the HuntedAfter seeing JL's recent post here I mentioned that I would share this photo of an Australian Jumping Spider, Breda jovialis, taking a huntsman. It's not a recent photo - it was taken in October 2006.I...

• Garden Orb Weaver Spider

  Posted on Saturday September 13th, 2008 at 23:42 in backyard, arachnids

  .....Eriophora pustulosaThis spider was found on my Vegetable garden fence last Wednesday evening. It is, I believe, Eriophora pustulosa, the Garden Orb Weaver. The species is very variable in colour and pattern as it takes on the colour of it's surr...

• Fungus and Mites

  Posted on Saturday September 13th, 2008 at 02:27 in fungi, arachnids

  I found this fungus on a tree at Leven Canyon today. I did not measure it but I'd estimate they are each is about 7 - 8 mm in diameter.I have no idea what it is yet as I'll need to get to the library. However, even more interesting are the little mi...

• Social Huntsman Spider

  Posted on Saturday August 16th, 2008 at 05:08 in backyard, arachnids

  ... Delena canceridesThis afternoon I came across this spider - Delena cancerides. This is Tasmania's largest Huntsman spider. It is known as the 'Social Huntsman' as it can live in colonies of up to 300. It is rather flat bodied and generally live...