''Macrothele calpeiana'', commonly known as the Gibraltar funnel-web spider or Spanish funnel-web spider, is one of the largest

spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...

s in Europe. ''Macrothele calpeiana'' is the only spider species protected under European Union legislation.Arnedo, M.A., Ferrández, M. (2007) "Mitochondrial markers reveal deep population subdivision in the European protected spider ''Macrothele calpeiana'' (Walckenaer, 1805) (Araneae, Hexathelidae)". ''Conserv Genet'' 8, 1147–1162. . The satin black colour and long, flexible

spinnerets A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and ar ...

are characteristic of this spider. The

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

is low and flat and the eyes are in a compact group. The female resembles the male but has a larger

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the gut, belly, tummy, midriff, tucky, or stomach) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal ...

. The male can grow to nearly long; females are typically larger. Like all funnel-web spiders, this spider's web is funnel-shaped with trip-threads around the entrance, built among stones and roots. Its geographical range includes

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

. It also can be found in north-west

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

where it is believed that it arrived through the olive tree trade with the Iberian Peninsula. This species has been observed occasionally in France. The

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...

is not deadly to humans. It is the type species of its genus.

References

*Jiménez-Vlaverde, A. & Lobo, J. M. (2006) "Distribution determinants of endangered Iberian spider ''Macrothele calpeiana'' (Araneae, Hexathelidae)". ''Environmental Entomology'', 35(6): 1491-1499. *Jiménez-Vlaverde, A. & Lobo, J. M. (2007) "Potential distribution of the endangered spider ''Macrothele calpeiana'' (Walckenaer, 1805) (Araneae, Hexathelidae) and the impact of climate warming". ''Acta Zoologica Sinica'', 53: 865-876. http://www.currentzoology.org/paperdetail.asp?id=6697. *Jiménez-Vlaverde, A. (2009) "Absence points of ''Macrothele calpeiana'' (Walckenaer, 1805) (Araneae, Hexathelidae) in Morocco (North Africa)". ''Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa'', 44: 559-561. *Jiménez-Vlaverde, A., García-Díez, T. & Bogaerts, S. (2007) "First records of the endangered spider ''Macrothele calpeiana'' (Walckenaer, 1805) (Hexathelidae) in Portugal". ''Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa'', 41: 445-446. *Siaud, P. & Raphaël, B., (2013) "First observation in Provence of the southern iberian funnelweb: ''Macrothele calpeiana'' (Walckenaer, 1805)". ''Mésogée.'', 69 : 5- 11, "planches" (board) 1-2.

External links

* * Macrothelidae Fauna of Gibraltar Spiders of Europe Spiders of Africa Spiders described in 1805 {{Macrothelidae-stub