Sparassidae Heteropoda

Heteropoda lunula (Doleschall, 1857)

Leopard-spotted Huntsman Spider

This species is easily recognisable from its large size, thick body and the many black-ringed "leopard" spots on the basal segments of the legs of the males (less obvious on the females). The legs are particularly robust in the females and covered by scopulae with a purplish sheen on the tarsi and metatarsi.

Length♀ 22–30 mm; ♂ 15–23 mm.
HabitatInside old houses, but may also be found between the thick leaves of the giant pandan plants (Pandanus sp.) or inside crevices in tree trunks in disturbed forests.
Type LocalityJava, Indonesia.
DistributionIndia, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah), Singapore, Vietnam.

Taxonomy

Type Depositories

  1. Holotype

    Museum Wiesbaden, formerly Naturhistorisches Museum (MWNH), Wiesbaden, Germany; ♀ (Nr. 406) of Isopeda beccarii malangana Strand, 1907 (Jäger, 1998b)

  2. Holotype

    Museum Wiesbaden, formerly Naturhistorisches Museum (MWNH), Wiesbaden, Germany; type material of Heteropoda holzi Strand, 1907 destroyed (Jäger, 1998b)

  3. Holotype

    Museo Civico Storia Naturale G. Doria, Genova (MCSNG), Italy; Holconia beccarii Thorell, 1890; ♀

  4. Holotype

    Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (MNHN), Paris, France; Tortula gloriosa Simon, 1880, (1610 Bis-9223); ♀

  5. Holotype

    Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHMW), Wien/Vienna, Austria; ♀ (1858.1.30) (Jäger & Koh, 2024)

  6. Holotype

    Übersee-Museum (ÜMB), Bremen, Germany; Tortula simoni Karsch, 1884, (10271); ♂

Taxonomic references

  1. Olios lunula (Original description ♀)

    Doleschall, 1857 Bijdrage tot de kennis der Arachniden van den Indischen Archipel: 428 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.66068

  2. Tortula gloriosa (Original description ♀)

    Simon, 1880a Révision de la famille des Sparassidae (Arachnides): 257

  3. Tortula simoni (Original description ♂)

    Karsch, 1884b Über einige neue und minder bekannte Arthropoden des Bremer Museums: 71

  4. Torania gloriosa

    Simon, 1886a Arachnides recueillis par M: 143

  5. Holconia beccarii (Original description ♀)

    Thorell, 1890c Diagnoses aranearum aliquot novarum in Indo-Malesia inventarum: 147

  6. Torania gloriosa (♀)

    Simon, 1897a Histoire naturelle des araignées. Deuxième édition, tome second: 45, f. 23 doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973

  7. Torania gloriosa (♀)

    Simon, 1904b Arachnides recueillis par M: 285, pl. 16, f. 2

  8. Heteropoda holzi (Original description ♂)

    Strand, 1907i Einige Spinnen aus Kamerun, Java und Australien: 193

  9. Heteropoda necatrix (provisional name)

    Strand, 1915d Indoaustralische, papuanische und polynesische Spinnen des Senckenbergischen Museums, gesammelt von Dr E: 245

  10. Torania gloriosa (♀)

    Gravely, 1931 Some Indian spiders of the families Ctenidae, Sparassidae, Selenopidae and Clubionidae: 246, f. 8C

  11. Torania beccarii malangana

    Roewer, 1955c Katalog der Araneae von 1758 bis 1940, bzw. 1954. 2. Band, Abt. a (Lycosaeformia, Dionycha [excl. Salticiformia]). 2. Band, Abt. b (Salticiformia, Cribellata) (Synonyma-Verzeichnis, Gesamtindex): 725

  12. Torania gloriosa (♀, D♂)

    Tikader & Sethi, 1990 Studies of some giant crab spiders of the family Heteropodidae from India: 169, f. 17-22

  13. Heteropoda lunula (mf, removed from S of Heteropoda thoracica, rejecting Thorell, 1878b: 192, see

    Jäger, 2002b Heteropodinae: transfers and synonymies (Arachnida: Araneae: Sparassidae): 49, f. 106-117 doi:10.2476/asjaa.51.33

  14. Heteropoda lunula (♀)

    Jäger, 2006c Lengthening of embolus and copulatory duct: a review of an evolutionary trend in the spider family Sparassidae (Araneae): 53, f. 9

Filter by

Nontype ♀

24 May 1992

Kent Ridge Road, inside house, Singapore

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Catalog No: JK.92.05.24.0001

Distribution of Heteropoda lunula (Doleschall, 1857)

India, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java), Malaysia (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah), Singapore, Vietnam.

Scroll