Heteropoda (Huntsman Spider)

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, and H. venatoria has 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, therefore being the largest of any extant spider.

Species
As of 2006, there were about 180 to 190 species in the genus, but the group requires taxonomic study and revision.[5][6]

See also: List of Heteropoda species

Species include:
 * Heteropoda acuta  Davies, 1994  — Queensland, Australia
 * Heteropoda amphora  Fox, 1936  — China, Hong Kong
 * Heteropoda cervina  L. Koch, 1875  — Queensland
 * Heteropoda dagmarae  Jäger & Vedel, 2005  — Laos, Thailand
 * Heteropoda davidbowie  Jäger, 2008  — Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra
 * Heteropoda fischeri  Jäger, 2005  — India
 * Heteropoda hosei  Pocock, 1897  — Borneo
 * Heteropoda maxima  Jäger, 2001  — Laos
 * Heteropoda venatoria  Linnaeus, 1767  — Pantropical
 * Heteropoda zuviele  Jäger, 2008  — Vietnam