Clubiona species

Fact Box Species: Clubiona species (QM) Family: Clubionidae (Note: In recent times several genera have been moved into or out of the Family Clubionidae) Body length: female: 6 mm male: 5 mm Habitat: This species can be shaken from green leaves in eucalypt forests. It makes a retreat consisting of a short tunnel of silk in which the spider rests when not foraging. It is a fast-moving spider and so may also be found in unusual places Toxicity: This small spider is not known to cause illness in humans but should still be handled with caution

Oblique view Another specimen Underside of spider Its retreat Another species? Underneath spider Another view Its epigynum

The identity of this spider is uncertain. In many respects it resembles a Cheiracanthium species, which would place it within the Family Eutichuridae but it has the sets of three erect spines on the upper surface of the femur (the first large segment) of each leg that are a characteristic of Clubiona species but are absent on the Eutichuridae. Its epigynum is also a much better match for a Clubiona species than for a Cheiracanthium species. On the other hand, it was found in a retreat within green leaves, which is common for the Eutichuridae but not for the Clubionidae, which normally build their retreats under loose bark on tree trunks.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Some members of the Families Eutichuridae, Gnaphosidae and Miturgidae, and a variety of other spider species that have an 'unspecialised' body and leg shape.