Heteropoda

Heteropoda is a genus of spiders in the family Sparassidae, the huntsman spiders. They are mainly distributed in tropical Asia and Australia, while at least one species, H. venatoria, has a cosmopolitan distribution, and H. variegata occurs in the Mediterranean.
These spiders catch and eat insects, but in a laboratory study one species readily ate fish and tadpoles when offered. H. venatoria has also been known to eat scorpions and bats.
The largest species in the genus, H. maxima, is about 4.6 centimeters long but has a legspan of up to 30 centimeters, making it the largest of any extant spider.
Species
As of August 2022, there were 189 species in the genus, after series of revisions.
Heteropoda acuta Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda aemulans Bayer & Jäger, 2009 — Laos
Heteropoda afghana Roewer, 1962 — Afghanistan, Pakistan, India
Heteropoda alta Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda altithorax Strand, 1907 — India
Heteropoda altmannae Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam
Heteropoda amphora Fox, 1936 — China, Hong Kong
Heteropoda analis Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea
Heteropoda armillata (Thorell, 1887) — Myanmar, Sumatra
Heteropoda atollicola Pocock, 1904 — Maldive Islands
Heteropoda atriventris Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea
Heteropoda badiella Roewer, 1951 — Moluccas
Heteropoda bellendenker Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda belua Jäger, 2005 — Borneo
Heteropoda beroni Jäger, 2005 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda bhaikakai Patel & Patel, 1973 — India
Heteropoda binnaburra Davies, 1994 — Queensland, New South Wales
Heteropoda boiei (Doleschall, 1859) — Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java
Heteropoda bonthainensis Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda borneensis (Thorell, 1890) — Borneo
Heteropoda boutani (Simon, 1906) — Vietnam
Heteropoda bulburin Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda camelia Strand, 1914 — Colombia
Heteropoda cavernicola Davies, 1994 — Western Australia
Heteropoda cece Jäger, 2014 — Borneo
Heteropoda cervina (L. Koch, 1875) — Queensland
Heteropoda chelata (Strand, 1911) — New Guinea
Heteropoda chelata vittichelis (Strand, 1911) — New Guinea
Heteropoda chengbuensis Wang, 1990 — China
Heteropoda christae Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra
Heteropoda conwayensis Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda cooki Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda cooloola Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda crassa Simon, 1880 — Java
Heteropoda crediton Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda cyanichelis Strand, 1907 — Java
Heteropoda cyanognatha Thorell, 1881 — Yule Islands
Heteropoda cyperusiria Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines
Heteropoda dagmarae Jäger & Vedel, 2005 — Laos, Thailand
Heteropoda dasyurina (Hogg, 1914) — New Guinea
Heteropoda davidbowie Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra
Heteropoda debilis (L. Koch, 1875) — Samoa
Heteropoda distincta Davies, 1994 — Queensland, New South Wales
Heteropoda duan Jäger, 2008 — Borneo
Heteropoda duo Jäger, 2008 — Borneo
Heteropoda elatana Strand, 1911 — Aru Islands, Kei Islands
Heteropoda eluta Karsch, 1891 — Sri Lanka
Heteropoda emarginativulva Strand, 1907 — India
Heteropoda ernstulrichi Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra
Heteropoda erythra Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea
Heteropoda eungella Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda fabrei Simon, 1885 — India
Heteropoda fischeri Jäger, 2005 — India
Heteropoda flavocephala Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda furva Thorell, 1890 — Malaysia
Heteropoda garciai Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines
Heteropoda gemella Simon, 1877 — Philippines
Heteropoda goonaneman Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda gordonensis Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda gourae Monga, Sadana & Singh, 1988 — India
Heteropoda grooteeylandt Davies, 1994 — Northern Territory
Heteropoda gyirongensis Hu & Li, 1987 — China
Heteropoda hampsoni Pocock, 1901 — India
Heteropoda helge Jäger, 2008 — China
Heteropoda hermitis (Hogg, 1914) — Western Australia
Heteropoda hildebrandti Jäger, 2008 — Molucca Islands
Heteropoda hillerae Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda hippie Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra
Heteropoda hirsti Jäger, 2008 — New Guinea
Heteropoda holoventris Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda homstu Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra, Java, Borneo
Heteropoda hosei Pocock, 1897 — Borneo
Heteropoda hupingensis Peng & Yin, 2001 — China
Heteropoda ignichelis (Simon, 1880) — Vietnam
Heteropoda imbecilla Thorell, 1892 — Malaysia, Sumatra
Heteropoda jacobii Strand, 1911 — New Guinea
Heteropoda jaegerorum Jäger, 2008 — Singapore, Sumatra
Heteropoda jasminae Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam
Heteropoda javana (Simon, 1880) — Malaysia, Java, Sumatra
Heteropoda jiangxiensis Li, 1991 — China
Heteropoda jugulans (L. Koch, 1876) — Queensland
Heteropoda kabaenae Strand, 1911 — Bismarck Archipel
Heteropoda kalbarri Davies, 1994 — Western Australia
Heteropoda kandiana Pocock, 1899 — India, Sri Lanka
Heteropoda kuekenthali Pocock, 1897 — Moluccas
Heteropoda kuluensis Sethi & Tikader, 1988 — India
Heteropoda kusi Jäger, 2014 — Borneo
Heteropoda laai Jäger, 2008 — Singapore, Sumatra
Heteropoda languida Simon, 1887 — Myanmar
Heteropoda lashbrooki (Hogg, 1922) — Vietnam
Heteropoda lentula Pocock, 1901 — India
Heteropoda leprosa Simon, 1884 — India, Myanmar, Malaysia
Heteropoda leptoscelis Thorell, 1892 — Sumatra
Heteropoda lindbergi Roewer, 1962 — Afghanistan
Heteropoda listeri Pocock, 1900 — Christmas Islands
Heteropoda loderstaedti Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia, Sumatra
Heteropoda longipes (L. Koch, 1875) — New South Wales
Heteropoda lunula (Doleschall, 1857) — India to Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Java, Sumatra, Borneo
Heteropoda luwuensis Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda malitiosa Simon, 1906 — India
Heteropoda marillana Davies, 1994 — Western Australia
Heteropoda martinae Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra
Heteropoda martusa Jäger, 2000 — Sumatra
Heteropoda maukin Jäger, 2014 — Borneo
Heteropoda maxima Jäger, 2001 — Laos
Heteropoda mecistopus Pocock, 1898 — Solomon Islands
Heteropoda mediocris Simon, 1880 — Java, New Guinea
Heteropoda meriani Jäger, 2008 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda merkarensis Strand, 1907 — India
Heteropoda meticulosa Simon, 1880 — Peru
Heteropoda minahassae Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda mindiptanensis Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea
Heteropoda modiglianii Thorell, 1890 — Java
Heteropoda monroei Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda montana Thorell, 1890 — Sumatra
Heteropoda monteithi Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda mossman Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda murina (Pocock, 1897) — Borneo
Heteropoda muscicapa Strand, 1911 — New Guinea
Heteropoda nagarigoon Davies, 1994 — Queensland, New South Wales
Heteropoda natans Jäger, 2005 — Borneo
Heteropoda nebulosa Thorell, 1890 — Malaysia
Heteropoda nigriventer Pocock, 1897 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda nilgirina Pocock, 1901 — India
Heteropoda ninahagen Jäger, 2008 — Malaysia
Heteropoda nirounensis (Simon, 1903) — India, Sumatra
Heteropoda nobilis (L. Koch, 1875) — New Hebrides, Australia, Polynesia
Heteropoda novaguineensis Strand, 1911 — New Guinea
Heteropoda nyalama Hu & Li, 1987 — China
Heteropoda obe Jäger, 2014 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda obtusa Thorell, 1890 — Borneo
Heteropoda ocyalina (Simon, 1887) — Java, Sumatra
Heteropoda onoi Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam
Heteropoda opo Jäger, 2014 — Myanmar
Heteropoda pakawini Jäger, 2008 — Thailand
Heteropoda parva Jäger, 2000 — Malaysia, Sumatra
Heteropoda pedata Strand, 1907 — India
Heteropoda pedata magna Strand, 1909 — India
Heteropoda pekkai Jäger, 2014 — Bhutan
Heteropoda phasma Simon, 1897 — India
Heteropoda pingtungensis Zhu & Tso, 2006 — China, Taiwan
Heteropoda planiceps (Pocock, 1897) — Moluccas
Heteropoda plebeja Thorell, 1887 — Myanmar
Heteropoda pressula Simon, 1886 — Vietnam
Heteropoda procera (L. Koch, 1867) — Queensland, New South Wales
Heteropoda raveni Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda reinholdae Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra
Heteropoda renibulbis Davies, 1994 — Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland
Heteropoda richlingi Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra, Java
Heteropoda robusta Fage, 1924 — India
Heteropoda rosea Karsch, 1879 — Colombia
Heteropoda rubra Chrysanthus, 1965 — New Guinea
Heteropoda rundle Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda ruricola Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea
Heteropoda sarotoides Järvi, 1914 — New Guinea
Heteropoda sartrix (L. Koch, 1865) — Australia
Heteropoda schlaginhaufeni Strand, 1911 — New Guinea
Heteropoda schwalbachorum Jäger, 2008 — China
Heteropoda schwendingeri Jäger, 2005 — Thailand
Heteropoda sexpunctata Simon, 1885 — India, Malaysia
Heteropoda signata Thorell, 1890 — Sumatra
Heteropoda silvatica Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda simoneallmannae (Jäger, 2018) — Philippines (Palawan)
Heteropoda simplex Jäger & Ono, 2000 — Laos, Ryukyu Islands
Heteropoda speciosus (Pocock, 1898) — Solomon Islands
Heteropoda spenceri Davies, 1994 — Northern Territory
Heteropoda spinipes (Pocock, 1897) — Moluccas
Heteropoda spurgeon Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda squamacea Wang, 1990 — China
Heteropoda steineri Bayer & Jäger, 2009 — Laos
Heteropoda strandi Jäger, 2002 — Sumatra
Heteropoda strasseni Strand, 1915 — Java
Heteropoda striata Merian, 1911 — Sulawesi
Heteropoda striatipes (Leardi, 1902) — India
Heteropoda submaculata Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea
Heteropoda submaculata torricelliana Strand, 1911 — New Guinea
Heteropoda subplebeia Strand, 1907 — India
Heteropoda subtilis Karsch, 1891 — Sri Lanka
Heteropoda sumatrana Thorell, 1890 — Sumatra
Heteropoda sumatrana javacola Strand, 1907 — Java
Heteropoda teranganica Strand, 1911 — Aru Islands
Heteropoda tetrica Thorell, 1897 — China to Sumatra
Heteropoda udolindenberg Jäger, 2008 — Sumatra
Heteropoda uexkuelli Jäger, 2008 — Bali
Heteropoda umbrata Karsch, 1891 — Sri Lanka
Heteropoda variegata (Simon, 1874) — Greece to Israel
Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) — Pantropical
Heteropoda venatoria emarginata Thorell, 1881 — Sumatra
Heteropoda venatoria foveolata Thorell, 1881 — New Guinea, Yule Islands
Heteropoda vespersa Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda warrumbungle Davies, 1994 — New South Wales
Heteropoda willunga Davies, 1994 — Queensland
Heteropoda zuviele Jäger, 2008 — Vietnam
References
Sparassidae genera
Cosmopolitan spiders