Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Opisthothelae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Hemicloea
Species: H. rogenhoferi
Binomial name: Hemicloea rogenhoferi
Common name: Flattened bark spider, Gumtree spider, Eucalyptus spider
Hemicloea rogenhoferi is endemic to the east coast of Australia. It was accidentally brought to New Zealand and is now naturalised here and is found throughout the country.
Hemicloea rogenhoferi is a moderately sized spider, female ais11 mm long and males are 9 mm long. Its legs curve forward like the huntsmen species.
Hemicloea rogenhoferi has a distinctively flattened body and an elongated, oval abdomen for squeezing into narrow spaces under the bark. It is typically brown to black in colour matching the bark it hides under. It prefers drier areas, under bark, rock and logs. One of its common habits is under the bark of the Eucalyptus species.
Warning this spider may be aggressive when defending its large white egg sac so handle with caution.
[http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/image_files/0000/0013/1373/1-Flattened_Bark_spider__Hemicloea_rogenhoferi_.jpg
]Photo courtesy of Kirstin Joyce
Photo courtesy of Kirstin Joyce
The spider's underside
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Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
