Nyssus coloripes, has a number of common names including Orange-legged Swift Spider, the Spotted Ground Swift Spider, the Fleet Footed Spider and the Painted Swift Spider.

Spotted Ground Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes), Belair SA © Marianne Broug
Spotted Ground Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes), Belair SA © Marianne Broug

Native to Australia, the species is mainly black in appearance, with white spots along most of the body and orange front legs. Nyssus coloripes can also be variable in the colour of the spots on the abdomen, some observed with yellow-orange spots. They are about 6–7 mm in length.

Nyssus coloripes (Orange-legged Swift Spider), Alice Springs NT
Nyssus coloripes (Orange-legged Swift Spider), Alice Springs NT
Nyssus coloripes (Orange-legged Swift Spider), Alice Springs NT
Nyssus coloripes (Orange-legged Swift Spider), Alice Springs NT

They are a diurnal (daytime) spider and can hunt for their prey, as well as using their webs to detect prey.

Spotted Ground Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes), Belair SA © Marianne Broug
Spotted Ground Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes), Belair SA © Marianne Broug
Spotted Ground Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes), Belair SA © Marianne Broug
Spotted Ground Swift Spider (Nyssus coloripes), Belair SA © Marianne Broug

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Chelicerata
  • Class: Arachnida
  • Order: Araneae
  • Infraorder: Araneomorphae
  • Family: Corinnidae
  • Subfamily: Castianeirinae
  • Genus: Nyssus
  • Species: Nyssus coloripes

Footnote & References

  1. Nyssus coloripes Walckenaer, 1805, Spotted Ground Swift Spider, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Nyssus coloripes

SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia Spiders Index Araneidae — Orb Weavers Arkys Australian Huntsman Spider Barking Spider Black House Spider Carepalxis sp Celaenia sp Crab Spiders Deinopidae — Net-casting Spiders Dolomedes sp Dolophones sp Euryopis umbilicate (Superb Ant-eater Spider) Flower Spiders Gnaphosidae (Stealthy Ground Spider) Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Herennia sp Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Molycria burwelli Mopsus mormon Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Nyssus coloripes (Orange-legged Swift Spider) Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Tetragnatha Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider