Taxonomy

Euryattus distribution is centred on Papua New Guinea, extending to Indonesia, the Pacific Islands and Australia which has three species. Euryattus bleekeri is widespread across mainland Australia, E. wallacei is found in central to northern Queensland and E. ventralis has been reported in far north Queensland by Whyte and Anderson (2017). Other species are likely to occur in northern Queensland.

Description

Euryattus spp. are large spiders, body length ranging from 9 to 12 mm.  The head, viewed from above, is rounded, widest at or just behind the posterior lateral eyes and with characteristically strongly-marked white or cream sides. The carapace is high. The abdomen is large and elongate-ovate in shape. Chelicerae are geniculate with a single, bicuspid (fissident) retromarginal tooth and three or more teeth on the promargin. The first pair of legs is longer than the other legs but not massive in build.

The male embolus arises on the distal edge of the tegulum where it forms an anti-clockwise half circle. It is divided into two, closely-aligned branches along much of its length. The tegulum is rounded without a proximal lobe. The palpal tibia has a single, blunt retro-lateral tibial apophysis, with a curved or scooped end.

The females have a single epigynal atrium, partially divided posteriorly. The spermathecae are spherical, located within the posterior sections of the atrium.

Biology

Euryattus spp. are found on foliage in rainforest, melaleuca and mangrove forests. The genus has been used extensively by Jackson and his colleagues in behavioural studies. Adults and juveniles may be quite differently patterned and coloured (Whyte and Anderson 2017).

Distribution

In Australia, Euryattus spp. occur widely across higher rainfall areas of the Northern Territory, Queensland and northern New South Wales with scattered records elsewhere.

References

Davies, V.T. & Żabka, M. 1989, Illustrated keys to the genera of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 27, 189-266.

Jackson, R.R., Li, D.Q. & Robertson, M.B. 1997. Cues by which suspended leaf nests of Euryattus (Araneae: Salticidae) females are recognized by conspecific males and by an aggressive mimic salticid, Portia fimbriata. Journal of Zoology, London 243, 29-46.

Richardson, B.J. & Żabka, M. 2016. Salticidae. Arachnida: Araneomorphae. Canberra, Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study, at https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/SALTICIDAE.

Whyte, R. and Anderson, G. 2017. A Field Guide to Spiders of Australia. CSIRO Publishing: Clayton.

Żabka, M. 1988. Salticidae (Araneae) of Oriental, Australian and Pacific Regions, III. Annales Zoologici, Warszawa 41, 421-479.

* The information sheet should be interpreted in the context of the associated diagrams and photographs. Diagrams explaining anatomical terms can be found in the ‘Salticidae’ pictures at the beginning of the list of genera.