Heteropoda is a genus of spiders in the family Sparassidae (the huntsman spiders). They are mainly distributed in tropical Asia and Australia, while at least one species, H. venatoria, has a cosmopolitan distribution,Airamé, S. and P. Sierwald. (2000). Hunting and feeding behavior of one Heteropoda species in lowland rainforest on Borneo (Aranae, Sparassidae). Journal of Arachnology 28(2), 251-53. and H. variegata occurs in the Mediterranean.Jager, P. and H. Ono. (2000). Sparassidae of Japan. I. New species of Olios, Heteropoda, and Sinopoda, with notes on some known species (Araneae: Sparassidae: Sparassinae and Heteropodinae). Acta Arachnologica 49(1), 41-60.
These spiders catch and eat insects, but in a laboratory study one species readily ate fish and tadpoles when offered. H. venatoria has also been known to eat scorpions and bats.Ross, J., et al. (1982). The life cycle of Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus) (Araneae: Heteropodidae). Psyche 89, 297-306.
The largest species in the genus, H. maxima, is about 4.6 centimeters long but has a legspan of up to 30 centimeters, making it the largest of any extant spider.Iaeger, P. (2001). A new species of Heteropoda (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae) from Laos, the largest huntsman spider? Zoosystema 23(3), 461-66.
Species As of August 2022, there were 189 species in the genus, after series of revisions.Jäger, P. (2005). A 'swimming' Heteropoda species from Borneo (Araneae, Sparassidae, Heteropodinae). Journal of Arachnology 33(3), 715-18.Eusemann, P. and P. Jäger. (2006). Heteropoda schwendingeri Jäger 2005 (Araneae: Sparassidae) – first description of female with notes on intraspecific variation and evidences supporting species status. Zootaxa 1325, 327-34.
Heteropoda acuta Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda aemulans Bayer & Jäger, 2009 — Laos Heteropoda afghana Roewer, 1962 — Afghanistan, Pakistan, India Heteropoda alta Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda altithorax Strand, 1907 — India Heteropoda altmannae Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam Heteropoda amphora Fox, 1936 — China, Hong Kong Heteropoda analis Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea Heteropoda armillata (Thorell, 1887) — Myanmar, Sumatra Heteropoda atollicola Pocock, 1904 — Maldive Islands Heteropoda atriventris Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea Heteropoda badiella Roewer, 1951 — Moluccas Heteropoda bellendenker Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda belua Jäger, 2005 — Borneo Heteropoda beroni Jäger, 2005 — Sulawesi Heteropoda bhaikakai Patel & Patel, 1973 — India Heteropoda binnaburra Davies, 1994 — Queensland, New South Wales Heteropoda boiei (Doleschall, 1859) — Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java Heteropoda bonthainensis Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi Heteropoda borneensis (Thorell, 1890) — Borneo Heteropoda boutani (Simon, 1906) — Vietnam Heteropoda bulburin Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda camelia Strand, 1914 — Colombia Heteropoda cavernicola Davies, 1994 — Western Australia Heteropoda cece Jäger, 2014 — Borneo Heteropoda cervina (L. Koch, 1875) — Queensland Heteropoda chelata (Strand, 1911) — New Guinea Heteropoda chelata vittichelis (Strand, 1911) — New Guinea Heteropoda chengbuensis Wang, 1990 — China Heteropoda christae Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra Heteropoda conwayensis Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda cooki Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda cooloola Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda crassa Simon, 1880 — Java Heteropoda crediton Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda cyanichelis Strand, 1907 — Java Heteropoda cyanognatha Thorell, 1881 — Yule Islands Heteropoda cyperusiria Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines Heteropoda dagmarae Jäger & Vedel, 2005 — Laos, Thailand Heteropoda dasyurina (Hogg, 1914) — New Guinea Heteropoda davidbowie Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra Heteropoda debilis (L. Koch, 1875) — Samoa Heteropoda distincta Davies, 1994 — Queensland, New South Wales Heteropoda duan Jäger, 2008 — Borneo Heteropoda duo Jäger, 2008 — Borneo Heteropoda elatana Strand, 1911 — Aru Islands, Kei Islands Heteropoda eluta Karsch, 1891 — Sri Lanka Heteropoda emarginativulva Strand, 1907 — India Heteropoda ernstulrichi Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra Heteropoda erythra Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea Heteropoda eungella Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda fabrei Simon, 1885 — India Heteropoda fischeri Jäger, 2005 — India Heteropoda flavocephala Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi Heteropoda furva Thorell, 1890 — Malaysia Heteropoda garciai Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines Heteropoda gemella Simon, 1877 — Philippines Heteropoda goonaneman Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda gordonensis Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda gourae Monga, Sadana & Singh, 1988 — India Heteropoda grooteeylandt Davies, 1994 — Northern Territory Heteropoda gyirongensis Hu & Li, 1987 — China Heteropoda hampsoni Pocock, 1901 — India Heteropoda helge Jäger, 2008 — China Heteropoda hermitis (Hogg, 1914) — Western Australia Heteropoda hildebrandti Jäger, 2008 — Molucca Islands Heteropoda hillerae Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda hippie Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra Heteropoda hirsti Jäger, 2008 — New Guinea Heteropoda holoventris Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda homstu Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra, Java, Borneo Heteropoda hosei Pocock, 1897 — Borneo Heteropoda hupingensis Peng & Yin, 2001 — China Heteropoda ignichelis (Simon, 1880) — Vietnam Heteropoda imbecilla Thorell, 1892 — Malaysia, Sumatra Heteropoda jacobii Strand, 1911 — New Guinea Heteropoda jaegerorum Jäger, 2008 — Singapore, Sumatra Heteropoda jasminae Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam Heteropoda javana (Simon, 1880) — Malaysia, Java, Sumatra Heteropoda jiangxiensis Li, 1991 — China Heteropoda jugulans (L. Koch, 1876) — Queensland Heteropoda kabaenae Strand, 1911 — Bismarck Archipel Heteropoda kalbarri Davies, 1994 — Western Australia Heteropoda kandiana Pocock, 1899 — India, Sri Lanka Heteropoda kuekenthali Pocock, 1897 — Moluccas Heteropoda kuluensis Sethi & Tikader, 1988 — India Heteropoda kusi Jäger, 2014 — Borneo Heteropoda laai Jäger, 2008 — Singapore, Sumatra Heteropoda languida Simon, 1887 — Myanmar Heteropoda lashbrooki (Hogg, 1922) — Vietnam Heteropoda lentula Pocock, 1901 — India Heteropoda leprosa Simon, 1884 — India, Myanmar, Malaysia Heteropoda leptoscelis Thorell, 1892 — Sumatra Heteropoda lindbergi Roewer, 1962 — Afghanistan Heteropoda listeri Pocock, 1900 — Christmas Islands Heteropoda loderstaedti Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia, Sumatra Heteropoda longipes (L. Koch, 1875) — New South Wales Heteropoda lunula (Doleschall, 1857) — India to Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Java, Sumatra, Borneo Heteropoda luwuensis Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi Heteropoda malitiosa Simon, 1906 — India Heteropoda marillana Davies, 1994 — Western Australia Heteropoda martinae Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra Heteropoda martusa Jäger, 2000 — Sumatra Heteropoda maukin Jäger, 2014 — Borneo Heteropoda maxima Jäger, 2001 — Laos Heteropoda mecistopus Pocock, 1898 — Solomon Islands Heteropoda mediocris Simon, 1880 — Java, New Guinea Heteropoda meriani Jäger, 2008 — Sulawesi Heteropoda merkarensis Strand, 1907 — India Heteropoda meticulosa Simon, 1880 — Peru Heteropoda minahassae Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi Heteropoda mindiptanensis Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea Heteropoda modiglianii Thorell, 1890 — Java Heteropoda monroei Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda montana Thorell, 1890 — Sumatra Heteropoda monteithi Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda mossman Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda murina (Pocock, 1897) — Borneo Heteropoda muscicapa Strand, 1911 — New Guinea Heteropoda nagarigoon Davies, 1994 — Queensland, New South Wales Heteropoda natans Jäger, 2005 — Borneo Heteropoda nebulosa Thorell, 1890 — Malaysia Heteropoda nigriventer Pocock, 1897 — Sulawesi Heteropoda nilgirina Pocock, 1901 — India Heteropoda ninahagen Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia Heteropoda nirounensis (Simon, 1903) — India, Sumatra Heteropoda nobilis (L. Koch, 1875) — New Hebrides, Australia, Polynesia Heteropoda novaguineensis Strand, 1911 — New Guinea Heteropoda nyalama Hu & Li, 1987 — China Heteropoda obe Jäger, 2014 — Sulawesi Heteropoda obtusa Thorell, 1890 — Borneo Heteropoda ocyalina (Simon, 1887) — Java, Sumatra Heteropoda onoi Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam Heteropoda opo Jäger, 2014 — Myanmar Heteropoda pakawini Jäger, 2008 — Thailand Heteropoda parva Jäger, 2000 — Malaysia, Sumatra Heteropoda pedata Strand, 1907 — India Heteropoda pedata magna Strand, 1909 — India Heteropoda pekkai Jäger, 2014 — Bhutan Heteropoda phasma Simon, 1897 — India Heteropoda pingtungensis Zhu & Tso, 2006 — China, Taiwan Heteropoda planiceps (Pocock, 1897) — Moluccas Heteropoda plebeja Thorell, 1887 — Myanmar Heteropoda pressula Simon, 1886 — Vietnam Heteropoda procera (L. Koch, 1867) — Queensland, New South Wales Heteropoda raveni Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda reinholdae Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra Heteropoda renibulbis Davies, 1994 — Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland Heteropoda richlingi Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra, Java Heteropoda robusta Fage, 1924 — India Heteropoda rosea Karsch, 1879 — Colombia Heteropoda rubra Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea Heteropoda rundle Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda ruricola Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea Heteropoda sarotoides Järvi, 1914 — New Guinea Heteropoda sartrix (L. Koch, 1865) — Australia Heteropoda schlaginhaufeni Strand, 1911 — New Guinea Heteropoda schwalbachorum Jäger, 2008 — China Heteropoda schwendingeri Jäger, 2005 — Thailand Heteropoda sexpunctata Simon, 1885 — India, Malaysia Heteropoda signata Thorell, 1890 — Sumatra Heteropoda silvatica Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda simoneallmannae (Jäger, 2018) — Philippines (Palawan) Heteropoda simplex Jäger & Ono, 2000 — Laos, Ryukyu Islands Heteropoda speciosus (Pocock, 1898) — Solomon Islands Heteropoda spenceri Davies, 1994 — Northern Territory Heteropoda spinipes (Pocock, 1897) — Moluccas Heteropoda spurgeon Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda squamacea Wang, 1990 — China Heteropoda steineri Bayer & Jäger, 2009 — Laos Heteropoda strandi Jäger, 2002 — Sumatra Heteropoda strasseni Strand, 1915 — Java Heteropoda striata Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi Heteropoda striatipes (Leardi, 1902) — India Heteropoda submaculata Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea Heteropoda submaculata torricelliana Strand, 1911 — New Guinea Heteropoda subplebeia Strand, 1907 — India Heteropoda subtilis Karsch, 1891 — Sri Lanka Heteropoda sumatrana Thorell, 1890 — Sumatra Heteropoda sumatrana javacola Strand, 1907 — Java Heteropoda teranganica Strand, 1911 — Aru Islands Heteropoda tetrica Thorell, 1897 — China to Sumatra Heteropoda udolindenberg Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra Heteropoda uexkuelli Jäger, 2008 — Bali Heteropoda umbrata Karsch, 1891 — Sri Lanka Heteropoda variegata (Simon, 1874) — Greece to Israel Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) — Pantropical Heteropoda venatoria emarginata Thorell, 1881 — Sumatra Heteropoda venatoria foveolata Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea, Yule Islands Heteropoda vespersa Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda warrumbungle Davies, 1994 — New South Wales Heteropoda willunga Davies, 1994 — Queensland Heteropoda zuviele Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam
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