| Delena cancerides | |
|---|---|
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| Illustration by Des Helmore | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sparassidae |
| Genus: | Delena |
| Species: | D. cancerides
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| Binomial name | |
| Delena cancerides Walckenaer, 1837
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| Synonyms | |
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Delena cancerides, the communal huntsman, flat huntsman or social huntsman, is a large, brown huntsman spider native to Australia. It has been introduced to New Zealand, where it is sometimes known as the Avondale spider.[1] This was the species used in the Australian movie Napoleon and widely in Arachnophobia, and all films depict them as having a deadly venomous bite, but they are generally considered harmless to humans in real-life.[2] It was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837.[3]
- ^ Rowell, D. M.; Avilés, L. (1995). "Sociality in a bark-dwelling huntsman spider from Australia, Delena cancerides Walckenaer (Araneae: Sparassidae)" (PDF). Insectes Sociaux. 42 (3). Basel, Switzerland: Birkhäuser: 287–302. doi:10.1007/BF01240423. ISSN 0020-1812. OCLC 260154986. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ Hall, G.; Hoare, R.J.B.; Crosby, T.K (2001). "Avondale spider, our Hollywood star!". Insects and spiders of New Zealand/Aotearoa. Lincoln, New Zealand: Landcare Research. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
- ^ Platnick, Norman I. (10 December 2011). "Fam. Sparassidae". The World Spider Catalog, Version 12.5. New York, NY, USA: American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.iz.0001. Retrieved 20 April 2012.