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Spiders
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by Joseph K H Koh
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Common Singapore Spiders on this website
This website will highlight only selected families of spiders likely to be encountered by students and amateur naturalists in Singapore. For easy reference, the families are arranged in an arbitrary order based on easily observable features. See also notes below.

WEB-WEAVERS

Orb web builders

Orb-Web Spiders (Araneidae)
Batik Golden Web Spider (Nephila antipodiana)
Golden Web Spider (Nephila pilipes)
Malabar Spider (Nephilengys malabarensis)
Ornamental Tree-Trunk Spider (Herennia ornatissima)
Multi-coloured St Andrew's Cross Spider (Argiope versicolor)
Oval St Andrew's Cross Spider (Argiope aemula)
Curved Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha arcuata)
Doria's Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha doriae)
Hasselt's Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha hasseltii)
Black-and-White Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha kuhlii)
Double-Spotted Spiny Spider (Gasteracantha mammosa)
Kidney Garden Spider (Araneus mitificus)
Laglaise's Garden Spider (Eriovixia laglaisei)
Common Garden Spider (Parawixia dehaani)
Brown Sailor Spider (Neoscona nautica)
Brown-Legged Spider (Neoscona rufofemorata)
Long-Bellied Cyclosa Spider (Cyclosa bifida)
Island Cyclosa Spider (Cyclosa insulana)
Scarlet Acusilas (Acusilas coccineus)
Flat Anepsion (Anepsion depressium)
Scorpion Spider (Arachnura sp.)
Capped Black-Headed Spider (Zygiella calyptrata)
Tree-Stump Spider (Poltys illepidus)
Beccari's Tent Spider (Cyrtophora beccarii)
Double-tailed Tent Spider (Cyrtophora exanthematica)
Red Tent Spider (Cyrtophora unicolor)

Big-Jawed Spiders (Tetragnathidae)
Common Big-Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha mandibulata)
Mangrove Big-Jawed Spider (Tetragnatha josephi)
Silver Leucauge (Leucauge argentina)
Decorative Leucauge (Leucauge decorata)
Pear-Shaped Leucauge (Opadometa fastigata)
Striated Tylorida (Tylorida striata)
Big-Bellied Tylorida (Tylorida ventralis)

Builders of three-dimensional webs

Comb-Footed Spiders (Theridiidae)
Rolled-Leaf Comb-Footed Spider (Achaearanea mundulum)
Golden Comb-Footed Spider (Chrysso sp.)
Silver Comb-Footed Spider (Argyrodes argentatus)
Split-Faced Silver Spider (Argyrodes fissifrons)
Red Silver Spider (Argyrodes flavescens)
Whip Spider (Argyrodes flagellum)

Daddy-Long-Leg Spiders (Pholcidae)
Pale Daddy-Long-Leg (Smeringopus pallidus)
Tailed Daddy-Long-Leg (Crossopriza lyoni)
Round-Bodied Daddy-Long-Leg (Physocyclus globosus)
Leaf-Dwelling Daddy-Long-Leg (Uthina atrigularis)

Spiders with cribellum and calamistrum

Feather-Legged Spiders (Uloboridae)
Humped Spider (Zosis geniculatus)
Twig-Like Feather-Legged Spider (Miagrammopes sp.)
Psechrid Spiders (Psechridae)
Singapore Psechrus (Psechrus singaporensis)
Tiny House Dwellers (Oecobiiade)
Common Tiny House Dweller (Oecobius sp.)
Net-Casting Spiders (Dinopidae)
Ogre-Faced Spider (Dinopis sp.)

 HUNTERS

Spiders with three-clawed legs

Spitting Spiders (Scytodidae)
Brown Spitting Spider (Scytodes fusca)
Pale Spitting Spider (Scytodes pallida)
Two-Tailed Spiders (Hersiliidae)
Common Two-Tailed Spider (Hersilia sp.)
Ground Spiders (Zodariidae)
Spotted Ground Spider (Storena cinctipes)
Lynx Spiders (Oxyopidae)
Burmese Lynx Spider (Oxyopes birmanicus)
Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae)
Pond Wolf Spider (Pardosa pseudoannulata)
Lawn Wolf Spider (Hippasa holmerae)
White-Dotted Wolf Spider (Venonia coruscans)
Nursery Web Spiders (Pisauridae)
Four-Spotted Nursery Web Spider (Eurychoera quadrimaculata)
Singapore Fishing Spider (Thalassius sp.)
Flexible-Legged Spider (Hygropoda prognatha)
Brown Grass Spider (Polyboea vulpina)
Single-Striped Grass Spider (Perenethis unifasciata)

Spiders with two-clawed legs

Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)
Elegant Golden Jumper (Chrysilla lauta)
Yellow-Lined Epeus (Epeus flavobilineatus)
Horned Grass Jumper (Evarcha flavocincta)
Adanson's House Jumper (Hasarius adansoni)
Heavy Jumper (Hyllus diardi)
Mangrove Jumper (Ligurra latidens)
Common House Jumper (Menemerus bivittatus)
Multi-Coloured Phintella (Phintella versicolor)
Banded Phintella (Phintella vittata)
Larger Housefly Catcher (Plexippus paykulli)
Common Housefly Catcher (Plexippus petersi)
Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata)
Jolly Telamonia (Telamonia festiva)
Fighting Spider (Thiania bhamoensi)
Sword-Bearing Thorelliola (Thorelliola ensifera)
Wide-Jawed Viciria (Viciria praemandibularis)

Unusual Jumping Spiders of the Subfamily Spartaeinae
Grey Cocalus (Cocalus murinus)
White-Moustached Portia (Portia labiata)
Malayan Phaeacius (Phaeacius malayensis)
Spiny-Legged Jumper (Spartaeus spinimanus)
Ant-mimicking Jumping Spiders (Genus Myrmarachne and Agorius)
Giant Ant-Like Jumper (Myrmarachne maxillosa)
Kerengga Ant-Like Jumper (Myrmarachne plantaleoides)
Constricted Agorius (Agorius constrictus)

Wandering Spiders (Ctenidae)
White-Striped Wandering Spider (Anahita sp.)

Sac Spiders (Clubionidae)
Slender Sac Spider (Chiracanthium sp.)
Stout Sac Spider (Clubiona sp.)
Grainy Oedignatha (Oedignatha scrobiculata)
Ant-Mimicking Sac Spiders (Genus Castianeira and Apochinomma)

Crab Spiders (Thomisidae)
Stoliczka's Crab Spider (Thomisus stoliczka)
Diamond-Bellied Crab Spider (Angaeus rhombifer)
Nepenthes Crab Spider (Misumenops nepenthicola)
Green Crab Spider (Dieta virens)
Litter Crab Spider (Borboropactus sp.)
Bird-Dung Crab Spider (Phrynarachne sp.)
Ant-Like Crab Spider (Amyciaea lineatipes)

Huntsman Spiders (Sparassidae)
Domestic Huntsman Spider (Heteropoda venatoria)

Spiders with two pairs of book-lungs

Theraphosidae (Hairy Mygalomorph Spiders)
Singapore Tarantula (Phlogiellus inermis)
Notes on arrangement of the spider families:
The families are arranged in this way purely out of convenience. Three points should be noted.

Families grouped together are not necessarily related to one another.

The arrangement is not intended to reflect any evolutionary scale, although spiders with two pairs of book-lungs (e.g., Theraphosidae) are regarded as being more primitive than most other spiders.

The grouping is oversimplified. For instance, free-roaming spiders grouped under "hunters" may spin a web (e.g., certain Wolf Spiders and Nursery Web Spiders, as well as a few Jumping Spiders). Certain spiders under the category of "orb-web builders" do not build an orb-web, and certain spiders outside this category (e.g., Uloboridae) do build an orb-web. However, the categorisation holds good in most instances.
From "A Guide to Common Singapore Spiders" by Joseph K. H. Koh
BP Guide to Nature Series published by the Singapore Science Centre and sponsored by British Petroleum<
© 2000 Joseph K H Koh