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MITURGIDAE Prowling Hunters

Miturgids are medium to large spiders in open eucalyptus forest, semi-arid areas, and desert habitats in all Australian states and territories, including Lord Howe Island. The cephalothorax is squared off at the front, and the fovea or central pit runs lengthways. Eight eyes in two row of 4, the back row wider, the front row slightly upcurved. The fairly large and longish jaws have two or three teeth on the outside, two on the inside. The abdomen is oval, or elongated. They are common in inland regions belonging to the superfamily Lycosoidea, somewhat resembling wolf spiders but without the distinctive Lycosid eye pattern. Australian genera include Diaprograpta, Eupograpta, Mituliodon Miturga, Mitzoruga and Nuliodon. Diaprograpta, having two claws with true claw tufts, and the rear row of eyes fairly strongly recurved, is rare with only a few specimens in collections. Nuliodon is known from South East Queensland coastal islands, coast and hinterland. Records for all the Miturgidae combined show the family is extremely widespread in coastal, hunterland and inland areas. The widespread and abundant genera Cheiracanthium and Calomoneta (previously in Miturgidae) have been moved to their own family, Eutichuridae.

Heteropoda cervina Male

Mituliodon tarantulinus (L. Koch, 1873) Prowling spider
Gathered in a mulch pile at 7.30am Friday, 5 June 2009 at northern side of junction of Fish and Enoggera Creeks. Body length about 15mm. Thanks David... 

Miturgidae Miturga agelenina

Miturga Agelenina Simon, 1909
A large prowling hunter with a mostly southern distribution across Australia, especially Victoria and Tasmania, mostly in eucalypt woodland. The... 

Miturgidae Miturga gilva

Miturga gilva Simon, 1909 Striped Swamp spider
Medium-sized to large prowling spider with dark legs with dark stripes on the upper surface of the head and body. Two white stripes on the underside... 

Miturgidae Miturga lineata

Miturga lineata Thorell, 1870 Lined Prowling Hunter
A common, widespread and abundant, medium-sized to large prowling spider in drier parts of coastal and inland Australia including Tasmania. Probably... 

Nuliodon

Nuliodon fishburni Raven, 2009 Fishburn's Prowling Coastal Hunter
This miturgid differs from Miturga by having claw tufts and no dark stripes on the carapace. This genus was erected by Robert Raven in 2009. 

Odo

Odo sp. A Miturgid in Miturginae
A miturgid species in Miturginae, destined to become a new genus (Raven, pers. comm.) found at Morgan SA and Eaglehawk Reserve near Bordertown SA, a... 

 


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