Servaea incana
Giant Bark Jumping Spider (Servaea incana) Identification Australia
A medium-sized, highly variable Australian jumping spider that uses bark, foliage and other surfaces rather than a prey-catching web.
Usually low riskThe giant bark jumping spider, Servaea incana, is also known as the hoary Servaea. It is a medium-sized Australian jumping spider often found beneath loose bark, on trunks or on nearby foliage. Its large forward-facing eyes, compact salticid build and stop-and-start hunting behaviour are useful family-level clues, but colour and pattern alone do not reliably identify this species.
Quick identification
- Medium-sized jumping-spider form, often roughly 5-11 mm as an adult rather than a tiny pinhead-sized jumper
- Large forward-facing principal eyes, a high front body and no prey-catching orb, sheet or tangle web
- A rounded to oval or sometimes diamond-looking abdomen, with the first legs a little more substantial than the others
- A highly variable grey, white, yellow, orange, brown or dark pattern that may blend into bark
- A bark, trunk, eucalypt woodland, garden foliage or sheltered hard-surface setting, especially where a small silken retreat could be hidden under loose bark
What to check next
Photograph the front eye field, the back of the abdomen, both sides, a scale beside the surface and the whole bark or foliage setting. If those details are missing, identify it as a jumping spider or Servaea-type bark jumper rather than relying on colour, an apparent angry face or the word giant.
When to seek medical help
Servaea incana is not among the Australian spiders healthdirect identifies as medically important. Do not handle it to test an identification. For a minor witnessed bite, wash the area with soap and water and use a wrapped cold pack for local pain. Seek medical advice for severe or persistent pain, worsening swelling, infection signs or illness; call 000 for breathing difficulty, collapse or anaphylaxis. If the spider could instead be a funnel-web or mouse spider, use emergency first aid and call 000 rather than relying on an uncertain photograph.
Where it is usually seen
Loose bark and trunks in eucalypt forest or woodland, foliage nearby and sometimes gardens. It is a hunting spider, so a small silken resting retreat can be present without a capture web.