File photo. A suspected Australian Huntsman spider species has been spotted in Napier. Photo:
An Australian breed of Huntsman spider appears to be establishing itself in Napier.
Residents have made two sightings of the species not far from each other in the past few months.
There are two species of Huntsman that have established itself in New Zealand, the Avondale spider, and the grey spider from Sydney.
The spiders can grow up to 20 centimetres in width and are known for their speedy, jumping abilities.
A professor of entomology at Lincoln University said the spider spotted in Napier appears to be the grey Sydney Huntsman, which has already established itself in Auckland and is different to the Avondale species.
Dr Cor Vink said it is unknown how it came to be in Napier.
"Who knows who knows how they got there? They could have hitched a ride with someone. That's probably the most likely way," he told Afternoons.
He said the photos suggest it is the Sydney species, but that the only way you can be certain is to catch one and look at it under the microscope at its distinguishing genitalia.
The structures of the female genitalia and the male genitalia are very specific to species, he said.
"They have different sclerites on them, so they will look different to each other but consistent within the species."
"And in Australia, there are hundreds of species of huntsman. So, there is a small chance that this is actually a new introduction of a new species. And until we have a closer look at it, we can't be sure that it's not."
Dr Vink said Huntsman don't naturally occur in New Zealand, much like scorpions and snakes.
They also don't build a web, are very active late at night and usually live under bark in dry leaf litter, which makes them particularly tricky to find, he said.
Huntsman bite their prey, turn it into mush and drink it up like a soup - but what about humans?
Dr Vink said it is "pretty hard" to get bitten by a Huntsman and are mostly harmless.
"There are one or two species in Australia that are a little bit bitey and angry, but I think this one is something you could reasonably confidently pick up and be pretty sure it wouldn't bite you," he said.
But Dr Vink stressed that any newly introduced spiders are a threat.
He said there is an estimated one new species that arrives every two years and establishes itself in New Zealand.
"I've got a list of something like 73 that have arrived since colonial settlement because that's how they've all come across," he said.
Dr Vink said introduced spiders mostly hang around modified areas like the grey Huntsman do but occasionally seem to make their way into natural environments.
"Probably the most recent one of concern is this Australian spotted swift spider with a very orangey front legs and it does it runs around. You see it around houses a lot. We're now finding in riverbeds, on beaches," he said.
Dr Vink said the best thing you can do if you stumble across a Huntsman to just remain calm and leave them alone.
"They're big but harmless. Try not to scream because, I don't know, that might just alarm someone else," he said.
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