Isopeda leishmanni

Meaning of name: Unknown.

Distribution: Reported from Western Australia and the southern states of Australia.

Description: This spider has a body length of approximately 35 millimetres.

Notes: We have seen this spider paralysed by a Great Orange Huntsman Wasp, Cryptocheilus fabricolor. The wasp was dragging the spider to a nesting burrow where the wasp would lay an egg. The larval wasp will eat the still-living spider and emerge from the burrow after pupating. The advantage of having a paralysed, but living, spider is that the meal (spider) stays fresh and doesn’t start to rot or decay until it dies.

We have photographed this spider in November and December.

References: Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/260436e4-342d-4e7d-b2a3-f26003586d04#overview

Identification courtesy of David Knowles and Cael Gallery.

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