Delena cancerides
Social Huntsman Spider Identification: Delena cancerides
A very flat red-brown and grey-brown huntsman with dark leg tips, adapted to tight bark retreats and sometimes living in persistent groups.
Usually low riskThe social huntsman, Delena cancerides, is an Australian huntsman adapted to narrow spaces beneath loose bark, timber and slabs of wood. It has the sideways-spreading huntsman legs, but is especially flat and often shows a red-brown carapace, grey-brown abdomen, longer front legs and dark tips on the feet. Finding several together strongly supports this species, yet a solitary spider can still be D. cancerides and a temporary cluster of young huntsmans does not prove it. Identification should combine body form, colour pattern, size, locality and retreat. The name “social” describes prolonged group living, not aggression toward people or a communal capture web.
Quick identification
- Very flat body and laterigrade legs spreading forwards and sideways
- Red-brown carapace with a grey-brown abdomen and dense fine hairs
- Front legs longer than the rear legs, often ending in dark brown or black tips
- Adult females may reach about 40 mm body length; males are slimmer and up to about 20 mm
- Often beneath loose bark, wood or slabs, sometimes beside adults and juveniles of several sizes
What to check next
Photograph the whole spider directly from above, then take a side view that shows how flat the body is and a wider image of the bark or timber retreat. Record body length without the legs, locality and whether spiders of several sizes were genuinely sharing the same crevice. Do not peel more bark away to count a group. A single brown huntsman with no clear dorsal or retreat context may remain at family level.
When to seek medical help
Social huntsmans can bite if trapped or handled, and a large individual may cause local pain, redness, swelling, burning or itching. Avoid direct 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
Tight crevices beneath loose bark on dead trees and stumps, beneath bark slabs, logs, woodpiles, timber and rocks, plus sheds and occasional indoor hiding places. Documented Australian range is strongest in eastern and south-western regions and Tasmania.