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FAMILY HERSILIIDAE - Two-tailed Spiders
Spiders in this family are small spider and easily identified. They have two tails, actually they are their long spinnerets. Two- tailed Spider sits on tree trunk and lay the silk on the near by area. When a small insect come close, the insect triggers those silk and the spider senses this. The spider will quickly run around the insect in circles, with the insect in centre. The spider will also lay more silk at the same time, until the insect entangled by the silk, and become the meal of the spider.
- We found one species of Two-tailed Spider so far.
Two-tailed Spider - Tamopsis brisbanensis
- This page contains pictures and information about Two-tailed Spiders that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Leg to leg 20mm
- Two-tailed Spiders are common but hard to find. They are small and heavily camouflaged. In summer, if we search patiently enough, we almost certainly will find them in every tree trunk in our backyard. The spiders body is flat and brown in colour, with the pattern of bark. Their legs are long although the third pair is relatively shorter. The spider has two tails on its abdomen. Actually the two tails are their spinners, which the lay silk to trap their prey.
- Two-tailed Spiders live on bark. They do not build web or any silken shelter. Usually the spiders just wait and stand still on the tree trunk for the whole day and night. When disturbed, they can run away very fast.
If you still cannot see the spider, try next picture.
"Yes, I can see you now."- Two-tailed Spiders hunt during day and night. The spider waits for the prey on the tree trunk. When there is a small insect within attack range, the spider will face backwards to the insect, then run side-way as a crab, the insect as centre, the spider run clockwise or anti-clockwise quickly, until the insect is tighten up by the silk. The spiders lay very thick silk to entangle their prey. The two tails, or the long spinners, are to lay the thick silk. The silk is projected across the length of the spinner, i.e. the length of the spinner is the thickness of the silk.
- Egg sac of Two-tailed Spider, 5mm diameter.
- Near the spider, sometimes we can find a grayish small silk ball hanging from tree trunk by a thick silk stalk. It is the egg sac of Two-tailed Spider. Their egg sac can be find in summer time.
