Macrothele calpeiana | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Family: | Hexathelidae |
Genus: | Macrothele |
Species: | M. calpeiana |
Binomial name | |
Macrothele calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) |
Macrothele calpeiana, the Gibraltar or Spanish funnel-web spider, is one of the largest and most fierce-looking spiders in Europe.
The satin black colour and long flexible spinnerets are unmistakable. The carapace is low and flat and the eyes are in a compact group. The female resembles the male but has a larger abdomen. The male can grow to nearly 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long with the female going over that. Like all funnel-web spiders, this spider's web is funnel-shaped with trip-threads around the entrance, built among stones and roots. Its geographical range includes Gibraltar, Spain, Portugal and north-west Africa. The venom is not deadly to humans.
It is the type species of its genus.