Silverbacks

Genus Idiommata, family Barychelidae

Male Silverback, with silver sheen of hair on its head. Female Silverback.

Identification

Large brown to black spiders; the darker males have a silver sheen of hair on their head, brown females have a golden sheen. The body of both is black and hairy. The "feet" and underside of the legs is covered with dense hair that flashes iridescent in some light.

Diversity & distribution

A number of species, most new, occur throughout Australia, several in Queensland.

They are found in both rainforest and open forest throughout Australia, except Tasmania.

Burrow

Short, open, often with a collar of leaves; a short horizontal flask down the burrow is sealed by a thick door.

Bite

One bite to a child in Perth caused a serious reaction.

Similar species

Being large, they can be confused with a tarantula but the spinnerets of silverbacks are hardly noticeable from above.

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