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Badge huntsman spider- Neosparassus diana
Found hiding under foliage and when disturbed fell to the ground and remained there and looked like dead. To get a photo of the markings on the underside I had to cool the spider down in the fridge for two hours and had about 3 minutes to take the shot. This female is approx 22 mm ( body length)
The Badge Huntsman is widespread across all of Australia in woodland and dry to moist eucalypt forest, less common in the tropical north and the arid areas. It is a large spider, active at night, hunting for prey on tree trunks or on foliage. It has a daytime retreat, sometimes made from leaves woven together, occasionally under bark. The female is fawn to orange to pinkish brown. There is a distinctive black shield with two white spots on the underside of abdomen, usually with an orange stripe.. more
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