ThomisidaeRuncinia acuminata Sidymella Sidymella hirsuta Tharrhalea sp Tharrhalea evanida Tharrhalea multopunctata Thomisus spectabilis Tmarus cinerasceus Xysticus bimaculatus Zygometis xanthogaster
The genus Tharrhalea include a number of species, including some that are difficult to tell apart, such as Tharrhalea evanida, Tharrhalea variabilis and Tharrhalea multopunctata.
Flower spiders are diurnal and are common on Australian native flowering plants such as grevilleas and wattles. They are territorial with only one spider occupying a flower, unless they are male and female together for mating. The occupant will often sit on a flower until the petals wilt before moving onto another flower. At night flower spiders hide under the petals or leaves.
Tharrhalea evanida
From the family Thomisidae, the species Tharrhalea evanida is part of the Flower Spiders group, this one being commonly known as the Pink Flower Spider (synonym Diaea evanida). An Australian spider in the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, and in New Guinea.1
Until recently this spider was known as a Diaea species but in 2014 P. Szymkowiak in Annales of Zoologici Warszawa, Volume 64, pages 333-477, stated it should be shown as a Lehtinelagia species. However, just two years later, and very controversially, Lehtinen stated the generic name should be further changed to Tharrhalea.
Crab spider, The Find-A-Spider Guide
Tharrhalea multopunctata
From the family Thomisidae, the species Tharrhalea multopunctata
is part of the Flower Spiders group (synonym Diaea multopunctata).
This section about genus Tharrhalea spiders is under development, check back as more information is added… please let us know if there is any error in the identification.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
- Order: Araneae
- Suborder: Araneomorphae
- Infraorder: Entelegynae
- Superfamily: Thomisoidea
- Family: Thomisidae
- Genus: Tharrhalea
- Species:
- Tharrhalea albipes
- Tharrhalea bicornis
- Tharrhalea cerussata
- Tharrhalea evanida
- Tharrhalea fusca
- Tharrhalea irrorata
- Tharrhalea luzonica
- Tharrhalea maculata
- Tharrhalea mariae
- Tharrhalea multopunctata
- Tharrhalea praetexta
- Tharrhalea prasina
- Tharrhalea pulleinei
- Tharrhalea semiargentea
- Tharrhalea superpicta
- Tharrhalea variabilis
- Tharrhalea variegata
there are currently listed 17 species (at the time of writing)
Footnote & References
- Crab spider, The Find-A-Spider Guide, http://www.findaspider.org.au/find/spiders/333.htm
- Tharrhalea (Lehtinelagia) evanida (L. Koch, 1867) Northern Flower Spider, Arachne.org.au, http://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=1037 (this site is no longer active. Some content can be viewed on Wayback Machine)
- Tharrhalea evanida, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/828788-Tharrhalea-evanida
- Sidymella Strand, 1942, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/c0613406-6cf5-4ae8-a43e-2ea7afe506ad
- Many thanks for help with ID from Micky O’Brien, Annette Fraser-Dunn and members of the Australian spider identification page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/australianspidereducation
- Flower spider, The Find-A-Spider Guide For The Spiders of Southern Queensland, http://www.findaspider.org.au/find/spiders/336.htm
ThomisidaeRuncinia acuminata Sidymella Sidymella hirsuta Tharrhalea sp Tharrhalea evanida Tharrhalea multopunctata Thomisus spectabilis Tmarus cinerasceus Xysticus bimaculatus Zygometis xanthogaster
SpidersIndex of Spider Images Spiders in Australia 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 Flower Spiders Hackled Orbweavers (Uloboridae) Jewel Spider Jumping Spider Long Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha sp) Lynx Spider (Oxyopes) Mangrovia albida Maratus volans Missulena occatoria (Red-headed Mouse Spider) Miturgidae Nicodamidae (Red and Black Spider) Ogre-faced Net-casting Spider Poltys sp (Twig Spider) Redback Spider Scorpion-tailed Spider (Arachnura higginsi) Thomisidae Tiger Spider (Trichonephila plumipes) White-spotted Swift Spider (Nyssus albopunctatus) Wolf Spider