Pandercetes gracilis
Lichen Huntsman Spider Identification Australia
A small, exceptionally camouflaged north Queensland huntsman that rests exposed on lichen-covered rainforest trunks and can accelerate sideways in an instant.
Usually low riskThe Australian lichen huntsman is Pandercetes gracilis, a Queensland species whose mottled surface and uneven hairy outline can disappear against bark and lichen. Identification depends on seeing a small huntsman body, sideways-spreading legs, trunk-resting behaviour and intricate disruptive camouflage together—not merely finding a grey spider on a tree.
Quick identification
- Small, flattened huntsman body with legs spreading forwards and sideways
- Dense grey, brown, cream or greenish mottling that resembles crustose lichen
- Tufts and fringes of hair that break up the smooth outline of body and legs
- Resting exposed and motionless on a rainforest tree trunk rather than hidden in a web
- Queensland location, especially humid north-eastern rainforest
What to check next
Take one photograph from directly above and another wider image showing the whole trunk. Confirm the laterally spread huntsman legs, small body, irregular hairy outline and Queensland rainforest setting. A blurred mottled spider may support only a huntsman-family identification.
When to seek medical help
The Australian Museum describes this species as harmless to humans, but any spider can bite if trapped or handled. For a suspected bite, wash the area and use 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 worried. Call Triple Zero (000) for breathing difficulty, collapse or other signs of anaphylaxis.
Where it is usually seen
Exposed lichen-encrusted tree trunks in humid rainforest and nearby wet forest in Queensland, especially the tropical north-east. AFD lists Queensland and records the type locality as Port of Mackay; the Australian Museum documents the species at Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation.