Heteropoda variegata (Simon, 1874)
Heteropoda variegata is a species of large huntsman spider (Sparassidae) endemic to the coastal regions of the Levantine basin. This is the Heteropoda species with the westernmost natural distribution (the globally invasive H. venatoria notwithstanding), with most other species being native to the Far East and Australia.
This species is restricted to the Mediterranean climate zone, and is mainly found in cool, humid habitats, such as caves, crevices and cisterns. It is rarely found in houses.
photo by: Shlomi Aharon
An adult male in Sarach cave, in the Galilee
In Israel it is mainly distributed in the Upper Galilee. Like similar huntsman spiders, Heteropoda variegata lives primarily on walls, where it stalks other arthropods. The egg sac is carried by the female, as in the other species of the genus.
Distribution map (adapted from Levy 1989)
Accession in the World Spider Catalog:
Articles about Heteropoda variegata:
Simon, E. (1874). Études arachnologiques. 3e mémoire. V. Révision des espèces européennes de la famille des Sparassidae. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (5) 4: 243-279, pl. 5.
Simon, E. (1880). Révision de la famille des Sparassidae (Arachnides). Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux 34(2/3/4): 223-351.
Taxonomic Classification
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Heteropoda
Species: Heteropoda variegata
Author: Simon, (1874)
Ecological Classification
Category: Troglophile
Cave zone: Entrance
Microhabitat: On walls
Levy, G. (1989). The family of huntsman spiders in Israel with annotations on species of the Middle East (Araneae: Sparassidae). Journal of Zoology, 217(1), 127-176.
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1989.tb02480
Gavish-Regev, E., Aharon, S., Armiach Steinpress, I., Seifan, M., & Lubin, Y. (2021). A Primer on Spider Assemblages in Levantine Caves: The Neglected Subterranean Habitats of the Levant—A Biodiversity Mine. Diversity, 13(5), 179.
DOI:/10.3390/d13050179