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Macrothele calpeiana

Macrothele calpeiana
Macrothele calpeiana.JPG
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.


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