Assassin Spider
Argiope trifasciata
Assassin spider (otherwise known as a Pelican Spider) have extremely elongated necks and long scything jaws with which they spear and catch prey, usually other spiders, in a way reminiscent of pelicans catching fish. They are limited to moist environments along Australia's coast, found mostly in rainforests in New South Wales and Queensland, with a major pocket in Western Australia's south west corner.
They are usually found where there is moss and suspended leaf litter. In Western Australia they are usually found in dense undergrowth in heathland. They are small (but not tiny) spiders with eight eyes, and long legs with a particularly long patella on leg. They are usually brown or red-brown in colour. Both males and females usually have prominent knobs on the abdomen. At night they hang upside-down on a single line of silk, waiting for wandering spiders which they impale with their spear-like jaws and grip with rows of peg-like teeth.
They are usually found where there is moss and suspended leaf litter. In Western Australia they are usually found in dense undergrowth in heathland. They are small (but not tiny) spiders with eight eyes, and long legs with a particularly long patella on leg. They are usually brown or red-brown in colour. Both males and females usually have prominent knobs on the abdomen. At night they hang upside-down on a single line of silk, waiting for wandering spiders which they impale with their spear-like jaws and grip with rows of peg-like teeth.
Fun fact: Assassin spiders are iconic among arachnids due to the extraordinary ecological history, their remarkable appearance and antiquity, their limited distribution and high endemism.
Welcome to...
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The Porongurup National Park lies within the traditional lands of the Minang group of the Nyungar people (Green 1984; South Australian Museum 2006). They feature in Nyungar cosmological accounts of the beginning of the world. It was here that different forms of life emerged from the earth and began to grow and move about (Colbung & Montrose 1994). Traditionally, Minang Nyungar people followed a pattern of seasonal movement between the coast and the interior around the area of what is now the Porongurup National Park.
First contact between Europeans and the Minang Nyungar people was in 1801 when Matthew Flinders visited what is now King George Sound. In June 1828, Captain Joseph Wakefield led an expedition inland to map the Kalgan River and explore the mountains called Purrengorup. Wakefield’s party, led by Aboriginal guides, Mokare and Nankina ascended the hill on the eastern side of the range, and enjoyed clear views to Koikyenunuruff (Stirling Ranges) (Mulvaney & Green 1992; Herford & Burchell 1996).
The Porongurup Range attracted the attention of early European settlers at King George Sound because of the richer green foliage of the karri contrasting with the surrounding country. The first pastoral lease to include the Range was taken out by John McKail in 1859. Logging of karri and jarrah commenced in the early 1900s and the Porongurup area once supported several timber mills. The Bolganup Homestead and Karribank were opened as guest houses in the 1920s.
The Porongurup Range was gazetted as a national park in 1925. By the 1930s it was a leading tourist destination. Historical sites within the Park include The Old Farm, Waddy’s Hut, and the ruins of the old Mira Flores homestead (CALM 1999).
First contact between Europeans and the Minang Nyungar people was in 1801 when Matthew Flinders visited what is now King George Sound. In June 1828, Captain Joseph Wakefield led an expedition inland to map the Kalgan River and explore the mountains called Purrengorup. Wakefield’s party, led by Aboriginal guides, Mokare and Nankina ascended the hill on the eastern side of the range, and enjoyed clear views to Koikyenunuruff (Stirling Ranges) (Mulvaney & Green 1992; Herford & Burchell 1996).
The Porongurup Range attracted the attention of early European settlers at King George Sound because of the richer green foliage of the karri contrasting with the surrounding country. The first pastoral lease to include the Range was taken out by John McKail in 1859. Logging of karri and jarrah commenced in the early 1900s and the Porongurup area once supported several timber mills. The Bolganup Homestead and Karribank were opened as guest houses in the 1920s.
The Porongurup Range was gazetted as a national park in 1925. By the 1930s it was a leading tourist destination. Historical sites within the Park include The Old Farm, Waddy’s Hut, and the ruins of the old Mira Flores homestead (CALM 1999).
We acknowledge the Minang Bibbulmun people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and live. We pay our respects to the Elders, past, present, and emerging and to the wider Bibbulmun community.
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