Typostola barbata
Green Huntsman Spider Identification: Typostola barbata
Australian green-bellied huntsman with a fawn body, green at the leg joints, paired black abdominal dots and an orange hair patch above the fangs.
Usually low riskIn Australia, “green huntsman” is an ambiguous common name. This guide covers the native Green-bellied Huntsman, Typostola barbata, also called the Giant Huntsman Spider. Despite the name, adults are usually fawn rather than uniformly green. Green dots at the leg joints, paired black dots on the abdomen and an orange “moustache” above the fangs are more useful clues. A vivid leaf-green huntsman may instead be a juvenile Neosparassus, while the European Micrommata virescens is not the Australian species covered here. Use structure, markings and locality together rather than naming a spider from colour alone.
Quick identification
- Flattened huntsman body with long legs spreading forwards and sideways
- Adult usually fawn, with small green areas or dots visible at the leg joints
- Several black dots may occur in paired rows on the upper abdomen
- Orange hairs form a moustache-like patch above and between the fangs
- Found on foliage, beneath loose bark or in sheltered rock and log crevices without a capture web
What to check next
Photograph the whole spider from above, then take a sharp front view only if it can be done without handling. Look for the combined fawn body, green leg joints, paired black abdominal dots and orange fang hairs. A uniformly bright-green spider or a photo that misses these features should remain at huntsman-family level.
When to seek medical help
Green-bellied huntsman bites can be painful, but the Victorian field guide reports that effects are usually local pain and swelling, with mild nausea or headache occurring occasionally. Avoid handling. For a suspected bite, wash the area and apply a wrapped cold pack for local discomfort. Seek medical advice if pain is severe, symptoms persist or worsen, swelling or itching increases, or you are concerned. Call Triple Zero (000) for breathing difficulty, collapse or other signs of anaphylaxis.
Where it is usually seen
Foliage and tree trunks, beneath loose bark, in rock-wall crevices, inside logs, and under rocks or fallen bark in documented parts of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.