Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Heteropoda venatoria
Giant huntsman
Littoral zone, Bursera forest, Transition forest, agricultural zone, Scalesia forest, Fern-sedge zone; floating on sea surface between Isabela and Santiago.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Arachnida
Order
Araneae
Superfamily
Sparassoidea
Family
Sparassidae
Genus
Heteropoda
Species
venatoria
Taxon category: Accepted
Origin: Introduced - established
Year of first record: 1902
Mode of introduction: Accidental
Introduction Pathway: Stowaway
Subpathway: Hitchhiker on transport vehicles/cargo
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: No data
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Baltra, Floreana, Isabela (Cerro Azul, Sierra Negra, V. Alcedo), Pinzón, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santiago
- Baert, L.L. Malfait, J.-P., Hendrickx, F. & Desender, K. (2008) Distribution and Habitat Preference of the Spiders (Araneae) of Galápagos. Bull. Inst. R. Sci. Nat. Belg. Entomol. 78: 39-111.
- Banks, N. (1931) The Norwegian Zoological Expedition to the Galapagos Islands 1925, Conducted by Alf Wollebaek 1. Arachnida. Medd. Zool. Mus., Oslo 22: 271-278.
- Baert, L.L. Maelfait, J.-P. & Desender, K. (1989) Results of the Belgian 1986-expedition: Araneae, and Provisional Checklist of the Spiders of the Galápagos Archipelago. Bull. Inst. R. Sci. Nat. Belg. Entomol. 58: 29-54.
- Baert, L.L. Maelfait, J.-P. (1986) A Contributution to the Knowledge of the Spider Fauna of Galápagos (Ecuador). Bull. Inst. R. Sci. Nat. Belg. Entomol. 56: 93-123.
- Baert, L.L. Maelfait, J.-P. (2000) Check List of the Described Spider Species of the Galápagos Archipelago (Araneae). Bull. Inst. R. Sci. Nat. Belg. Entomol. 70: 243-245.
- Roth, V.D. Craig, P.R. (1970) Arachnida of the Galápagos Islands (Excluding Acarina). Mission zoologique belge aux îles Galapagos et en Ecuador (N. et J. Leleup, 1964-1965), 2: 107-124.
- Baert, L.L. Maelfait, J.P. & Desender, K. (1989) Results of the Belgian 1988-expedition to the Galápagos Islands: Araneae. Bull. Inst. R. Sci. Nat. Belg. Entomol. 59: 5-22.
- Jaramillo, P. Reyes, D. & Yánez, P. (2005) Arthopods in the Charles Darwin Research Station herbarium, Galápagos, during 1999-2001. GALAPAGOS RESEARCH. Noticias de Galápagos. 63: 23-25.
- Buchholz, S. Baert, L., Rodríguez, J., E Causton, C., & Jäger, H. (2020) Spiders in Galapagos–diversity, biogeography and origin. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 130(1), 41-48.
- Baert, L. Jean-Pierre Maelfait, Konjev Desender, Frederik Hendrickx (2023) Updated checklist, origin, distribution, literature and genital drawings of the spiders of the Galápagos Islands Belgian Journal of Entomology 142: 1–188.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Heteropoda venatoria", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=6490. Accessed 25 April 2025.