Artema atlanta

Fact Box Species: Artema atlanta (Beatty et al) (or a very similar species: see notes below) Family: Pholcidae Body length: female: 10 mm male: 9.5 mm Habitat: This cosmopolitan species is often found in houses and on man-made objects that carry it across national boundaries Toxicity: Uncertain; probably only able to cause local inflammation

View from above

Pholcids are rarely easy to identify without the aid of a stereo microscope because most of the distinguishing characteristics of each species cannot be seen without magnification. It is said that Artema atlanta is the largest pholcid species found in Australia but this means little unless the specimen under examination is proven to be an adult. The spider presented on this page has markings similar to those shown for Artema atlanta by Bernard Huber at the following website: http://tolweb.org/images/Pholcidae/2719. However, it should be noted that the markings on individual A. atlanta specimens can vary somewhat and some other pholcid genera have reasonably similar markings.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Physocyclus globosus.