Wallaga Lake SpidersBird-dropping Arkys (Arkys curtulus) White Garland House Hopper (Maratus scutulatus)
Commonly known as the Bird-dropping Spide or the Bird Poo Spider, these small to medium size spiders are sometimes easily overlook (it is just a case of can you distinguish them from bird droppings.
Their colours and patterns of Arkys curtulus can vary considerably between individuals. The colours can range from cream, orange, brown and black, in a variety of mottled patterns.
These spiders are found in eastern Australia, usually resting on leaves and waiting for prey to come within reach.
The following series of photos are of the Bird-dropping Arkys (Arkys curtulus) feasting on a Native Drone Fly (Eristalinus punctulatus) at Wallaga Lake, New South Wales.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Family: Arkyidae
- Genus: Arkys
- Species: Arkys curtulus
Footnote & References
- Photographs © Deb Taylor
- Arkys curtulus (Simon, 1903), Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Arkys curtulus
Wallaga Lake SpidersBird-dropping Arkys (Arkys curtulus) White Garland House Hopper (Maratus scutulatus)
Wallaga Lake FaunaInsects Spiders
South CoastBioblitz! The Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Garden Eurobodalla National Park Gulaga / Mt Dromedary Fauna Flora Islands National Parks and Reserves Wallaga Lake
New South WalesNew South Wales Fauna New South Wales Flora Barunguba Montague Island Blue Mountains Bourke Bundeena Central Coast Kosciuszko National Park Lower North Shore Lightning Ridge Mount Kaputar National Park Northern Beaches Sapphire Coast Snowy Mountains Region South Coast Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden Sydney