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FAMILY DESIDAE - House Spiders
Spiders in this family are small to medium size spiders, with round or oval abdomen dark or brown in colour. Their eight eyes are in two rows of four. They build tangled web with a tubular retreat, so they are also called Cobweb spiders. Usually there are the the silken sheet at one end of of their webs. The prey that lands on the sheet is caught and consumed in the retreat. The egg sac is made in the funnel and the male often stays with the female. They produce cribellate silk (not sticky, but zigzag and elastic).
Up to now we only found one species in this family.
Black House Spider - Badumna insignis
This page contains pictures and information about Black House Spiders that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Leg to leg 15mm
- Black House Spiders are common in gardens, corners of windows and tree trunks. They build tangled webs with funnel shaped tunnels. In front of the tunnel there is usually the sail-like panel web. They can be found on tree trunk or at the corner of a widows. The Spiders are dark brown in colour with legs shiny brown. Their heads are black in colour. There are the fines patterns on their abdomen. This spider is known to bite and may cause severe effect.
- The males can be seen at night wandering and searching for the female. In the first photo the spider is living with its young. The second pictures shows the typical tangle web of Black House Spider, notice the tunnel entry.
- Black House Spiders making its web outside its retreat. Every evening the spider either repairs the web or extends it. The prey, usually small insects, that lands on the web is caught and consumed in the retreat.
- Leg to leg 15mm
The Black House Spider is known to attack Red Back Spider (1st picture) which is danger to human. The second picture shows a small Black House Spider catches a Long Legged Fly.
