Bug FAQJungle Huntsman Spider
Heteropoda jugulans · Order: Araneae · Family: Sparassidae
Also called: Brisbane Huntsman Spider, Brown Huntsman Spider
Males and females are about the same size, but males have longer legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males and females are similar in overall size, though males have longer legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It can be found inside homes and other structures while hunting at night.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
At night it will enter houses, outbuildings and letterboxes to hunt.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It eats insects but does not eat most cockroaches.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Australian Heteropoda species look very similar; reliable ID needs microscopic examination of genitalia.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell this spider apart from other Heteropoda species?
Only a microscope exam of the spider’s genitals can give a definite ID.
Source: Wikipedia
Why do they come into my house at night?
They enter homes and outbuildings at night to hunt for insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Sparassidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heteropoda_jugulans
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.