Another encounter with a special Huntsman Spider

I first wrote about this spider in December 2007 - it seems so long ago. Obvious not the same individual - presumably its great, great, great, Grandmother or Grandfather (assuming an annual generation period).

For arachnophobes, I need to give the standard Image Alert - there is a close-up face-to-face view of this spider. True arachnophobes will not have even opened the Blog, I assume.

As happened some four years ago,

I stumbled across this spider hanging upside down

on some swamp grasses and rushes adjacent to Butlers Swamp in Kangaloon.

In the previous case it had just shed its old exoskeleton

and as a result it was just drying itself out, and was reluctant to move.

Its skin was soft and velvety looking.

The previous one i saw was almost green on the back.

But I knew it had just shed its old exoskelton.

In this case I saw no sign of the old skin.

But this chap was definitely reluctant to move.

Huntsman Spider - possibly the Shield Huntsman Spider.

 This spider is not displaying the "shield" or "badge" from which it gets its name. However, it does have the colourful under side, and the bright blue patches in the joints of its legs. 

Knowing how many of the local plants are not well studied, it seems entirely likely to me that this might also be a local species, not yet recorded. or if it is named, it is not well reported in the main literature.

Possibly Shield Huntsman Spider

Here is the scary image warning.

While you are thinking about it. here are some links to follow, to other sites, dealing with the same (or closely related) species.

1. http://www.findaspider.org.au/find/spiders/481.htm
2. http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Badge-Huntsman-Spider-on-twig/
3. http://australianmuseum.net.au/Huntsman-Spiders

 And now on with the next image:

I believe from the palps (the "flaps" either side of the mouth)

this is almost certainly a male.

As close as I dared to go with this Shield Huntsman Spider