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More InformationLike more general information about spiders?If you would like more information about spiders than is presented on this website, you could try to obtain a copy of a comprehensive monograph that has been published comparatively recently. Unfortunately, there are presently very few reference books available about the spiders of Australia that offer more than a basic overview of Australian arachnids and some of the better books that were published before 1980 are now out of print and therefore difficult to obtain or even to find in a reference library. Those listed below are useful sources of general information about Australian spiders that may still be readily available but may now contain some inaccuracies because so many revisions have been made in the field of spider taxonomy over the last 30 years. It is not recommended that you purchase books about the spiders of other continents because most Australian species are unique to this country. On the other hand, such books may be useful if you want information about the life of spiders or the functions of a typical spider's body. In addition, they may contain images of overseas species that are similar to Australian ones for which no published photo can be found. Brunet, B. (1997) "Spiderwatch: a guide to Australian spiders" Reed New Holland, Sydney (ISBN 1 87633 404 5). Davies, V.T. (1986) "Australian Spiders: Collection Preservation and Identification" Queensland Museum booklet No. 14 (ISBN 0 7242 1721 5). Hawkeswood, T.J. (2003) "Spiders of Australia: An introduction to their classification biology and distribution" Pensoft, Sofia-Moscow (ISBN 954 642 192 8). Mascord, R. (1970) "Australian Spiders in colour" AH and AW Reed, Sydney (SBN 589 07065 7). Mascord, R. (1980) "Spiders of Australia: a field guide" AH and AW Reed, Sydney. (ISBN 0 589 50264 6). Raven, R.J. and Seeman, O. (2007) "Arachnids" in Wildlife of Greater Brisbane, 2nd Edition, pages 30-67, Queensland Museum Publication (ISBN 9780977594313). Shield, J.M. (2001) "Spiders of Bendigo" Bendigo Field Naturalists' Club Inc, Bendigo (ISBN 0 9589259 6 8). Other spider web sites Many other Australian spider web sites have been established in recent years but few of these include a very large range of individual spider genera and species. Among the better ones are: Ed Nieuwenhuys' Australian Spiders This site has good sets of images of Australian spiders. Nick Monaghan's Life Unseen Nick Monaghan’s web site is dedicated to the insects, spiders and other invertebrates inhabiting the Sunshine Coast region of Southeast Queensland. The site contains a photographic record of more than 1,000 species and may serve as a good visual guide for identifications. Brisbane Insects and Spiders This is the website of Peter Chew and family and contains many images of both insects and spiders found around Brisbane. Save Our Waterways Now This website presents the excellent work that is being carried out by a group of enthusiasts to improve the condition of the waterways on the north-western side of Brisbane. It contains much more information than just their spider studies so to look at their spider pages it is necessary to open the home page then click on Wildlife Wonders followed by the Arachnids link. The Queensland Museum For many years the arachnologists at the Queensland Museum have undertaken the major task of correcting the many errors made by European taxonomists who over the period 1830 - 1920 first collected and named most of the more common spider species that are endemic to Australia. They are also playing a major role in expanding the list of described species this country contains. The Australian Museum Staff in the arachnid section of the Australian Museum in Sydney have also played a major role in the revision of the arachnids of Australia and have collaborated in a number of research projects involving the toxicity of Australian spider venoms. Their recently developed Bugwise website (at http://www.bugwise.net.au/) is also worth visiting. The Australian Arachnological Society This website contains some useful spider photos as well as lots of information about spiders and the people who are presently studying them, notably including Dr. Volker Framenau. In addition, its contents relate not only to true spiders but also to other arachnids, including the ticks, mites, and scorpions. The World Spider Catalog, Version 10.0 This catalogue, presently edited by Norman Platnick, is a highly technical listing of all named spiders of the world. Its use requires some scientific knowledge but it may be of some help to those who suspect the taxonomic name of a particular spider species may have been changed comparatively recently. Searches for individual species names can be made and the site also shows name changes and alternative names that taxonomists have used in the past for the same spider. Email Ron Atkinson for more information. Last updated 17 April 2009. |
