Promoted
Rain Spider
This one tried to get in the shower with me this morning so was hastily taken outside. This was probably the largest one I have ever seen , probably with a leg span of about 8cm. Totally harmless, these spiders do not like the rain which is when they come indoors, hence their name, so I have no idea why it wanted a shower! I don't know if this is male or female. Females tend to be fatter and the males have longer legs and are brighter so I would guess this was a male. Rain spiders are one of the largest non-tarantula spiders.
The Common rain spider , formerly ''P. natalius'', is a species of huntsman spider native to Southern Africa. It is the most common and widespread species in the ''Palystes'' genus. Its distribution ranges from KwaZulu-Natal province in the east, then westwards to the provinces of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and North West in the north, and Eastern Cape and Western Cape in the south. It has a body length of 25–30 mm. The species was first described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1875.
Its.. more
comments (3)