Central Coast SpidersSpider Index Arachnura higginsi (Scorpion-tailed Spider) Arkys alatus (Winged Arkys) Arkys alticephala (High-headed Arkys) Arkys curtulus (Bird-dropping Spider) Arkys dilatatus (Dilated Arkys) Arkys transversus Arkys enigma Celaenia Deinopis subrufa (Net-casting Spider) Dolophones turrigera (Turreted Wrap-around Spider) Maratus volans (Peacock Spider) Ordgarius magnificus (Magnificent Spider) Servaea villosa (Shaggy-velvet Servaea) Tetragnatha nitens (Shining Long-jawed Spider) Triangular Spiders
The Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi), whose other common name is the Scorpion Orb Weaver, occurs from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, south-west of Western Australia and Tasmania.
It can be found in a wider variety of bushland habitats and have been observed in urban gardens. They usually build a vertical web or a web with some angles of inclination. There have been instances where they have built a horizontal web. The web itself is not a fully circular orb web, as the upper two sectors are left incomplete, with just radial threads. The web is about 1 metre in diameter and usually one to two metres above the ground.
It is the female Arachnura higginsi that is most often seen, staying in the centre of her web. The female develops the long tail over her lifetime, the tail getting longer after each moult. This tail can be arched over the head from behind, which is reminiscent of a scorpion in attack position. The female spider also has large pointed shoulders of the upper abdomen, that reach well over the rear parts of the cephalothorax, which is a characteristic of this species.
The adults colour can vary between individuals, but are usually brown to cream, yellow and sometimes black. The juveniles can be brightly coloured, from pink, yellow, red, brown or cream.
The male of the species is much smaller. It does not have the tail, and can be often overlooked, although they sometimes hang around on the fringe of the web.
More information can be found in our section on Spiders | Arachnura higginsi
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Suborder: Araneomorphae
- Infraorder: Entelegynae
- Superfamily: Araneoidea
- Family: Araneidae
- Genus: Arachnura
- Species: Arachnura higginsi
Footnote & References
- Photographs © Michael Doe
- Arachnura higginsi (L. Koch, 1872), Scorpion Tailed Spider, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/97b364bd-8144-48d7-aeef-6c4f8a1a30bd
- Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/202200-Arachnura-higginsi
- Arachnura higginsi (Koch, 1872) Scorpion-tailed Spider, Arachne.org.au, http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=2112
- Arachnura higginsi, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnura_higginsi
Central Coast SpidersSpider Index Arachnura higginsi (Scorpion-tailed Spider) Arkys alatus (Winged Arkys) Arkys alticephala (High-headed Arkys) Arkys curtulus (Bird-dropping Spider) Arkys dilatatus (Dilated Arkys) Arkys transversus Arkys enigma Celaenia Deinopis subrufa (Net-casting Spider) Dolophones turrigera (Turreted Wrap-around Spider) Maratus volans (Peacock Spider) Ordgarius magnificus (Magnificent Spider) Servaea villosa (Shaggy-velvet Servaea) Tetragnatha nitens (Shining Long-jawed Spider) Triangular Spiders
New South WalesBarunguba Montague Island Bourke Blue Mountains Bundeena Central Coast Kosciuszko National Park Mount Kaputar National Park Lower North Shore Northern Beaches Sapphire Coast Snowy Mountains Region South Coast Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden Sydney