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Megadolomedes trux
Megadolomedes trux is a species of spider endemic to Australia in the family Dolomedidae. TaxonomyMegadolomedes trux was first described by J. Lamb in 1911 under the name Dolomedes trux from a specimen collected at Ithaca Creek, Brisbane.[2] The species was later redescribed as Megadolomedes trux by Raven and Wendy Hebron in 2018.[3] DescriptionLike many spiders, M. trux displays strong sexual size dimorphism. Females are 30 centimetres long (excluding legs), and males are 7.6 centimetres long. It is one of Australia's largest spiders. They have a brown, earth-coloured abdomen and long, pseudosegmented tarsi.[3] The species superficially resembles the American genus Trechalea.[4] DistributionM. trux is found east of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales and Queensland. Their distribution ranges from Gordon in the south to Cooktown in the north.[3] BehaviourIn its original description, this species was recorded preying on an adult tree frog.[2] M. trux hunts from beneath rocks and logs on the edges of slow-moving waterways, where they wait for prey to pass by with their front legs outstretched. The long, sensitive trichobothriae on the front legs of this species allow them to detect vibrations in the water from small fish and frogs. Upon detecting a suitable prey item in this manner, the spider dives into the water to subdue it, remaining in the substrate for up to 30 minutes.[3] Like other species in Dolomedidae, females carry eggsacs in their chelicerae. References
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