Giant Forest Scorpion (Heterometrus spinifer)
Image Copyright Stuart Phillips
Observed: April 2016, Koh Chang
Observed By: Stuart Phillips
The giant forest scorpion is a formidably armed beast with its two huge pincers and a venomous sting on the tail.
But don’t be afraid (for once!). It actually has a relatively mild sting and isn’t considered to be a danger to humans. It’s venom is comparable to that of a wasp or a bee. Not fun but not life-threatening.
Giant forest scorpions grow up to 12 centimetres long and inhabit dark and damp habitats such as leaf litter and rotten trees. It is distributed through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
They feed on insects such as cockroaches, grasshoppers and locusts.
Giant Forest Scorpion Wikipedia
Other Koh Chang Arachnids
Thailand Black tarantula (Haplopelma Minax)
Image Copyright Robin Stenslund
Observed: December 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Arachnaphobes look away, click return, nothing to see here.
Everyone else celebrate the marvellous Thailand black tarantula. It is a species of old-world tarantula native to Thailand.
They are floor living jungle dwellers and reside in a burrow that is surrounded by special web filaments that, when triggered by prey, will bring the spider out to capture and feed.
There are actually several similar species of Haplopelma in Thailand/Burma/Cambodia/laso area and they are quite similar so this might be one of the sisters of Minax. The last recognised species Haplopelma Longipes was only identified in 2005, so you never know, this might be a new one.
Haplopelma Wikipedia
Vinegaroon (Telephonida)
Image Copyright Napha Kotkanplu
Last Observed: January 2016, Koh Chang
Observed By: Napha Kotkangplu
The Vinegaroons, also known as whip scorpions are in fact a family of arachnids that is completely separate from scorpions themselves.
They get their rather marvellous name from an ability they have when attacked to discharge a pungent liquid that contains acetic acid and smells like vinegar.
As you can tell from their fearsome pincers vinegaroons are formidable predators that feed on insects, millipedes, scorpions and even small vertebrates. They kill their prey by crushing them and are particularly fond of cockroaches.
Vinegaroon Wikipedia
Image Copyright Napha Kotkanplu
Image Copyright Napha Kotkanplu
Image Copyright Napha Kotkanplu
Image Copyright Napha Kotkanplu
Thiania bhamoensis
Image Copyright Hans Henrik Hansen
Last Observed: January 2016 – Koh Chang
Observed By: Hans Henrik Hansen
Thiania bhamoensis is a small and brilliantly blue and black coloured little species of jumping spider.
These spiders build lairs by using their silk to bind two green leaves together. They build these nests on many species of plants but most commonly on the aptly named spider lily.
In Southeast Asia these spiders are also known as the fighting spider because two males will always fight each other when placed in close proximity. So of course people fight them for sport – you’d think there would be something better to do – but never make the mistake of overestimating human nature.
Thiania bhamoensis Wikipedia
Giant Trapdoor Spider (Liphistius desultor)
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Last Observed: December 2015 – Koh Chang
Observed By: สุธนัย ครุพานิช
The marvellous trapdoor spiders are a family of arichnids that have developed a supremely sneaky and effective system for trapping their prey.
They inhabit holes in the ground that are covered by a hinged lid that is attached to series of warning threads of web. When an unwitting victim disturbs one of these triggers the trapdoor spider leaps out with shocking speed – grabs its prey – and drops back into its hole to dine.
You’ve got to hand it to evolution, that’s a pretty good system! these spiders thrive in the forest environment of Koh Chang.
Lephistiidae Wikipedia
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Crab Spider (Misumessus Oblongus)
Image Copyright สุธนัย ครุพานิช
Observed: December 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: สุธนัย ครุพานิช
The Crab Spider Misumessis Oblongus is a very small, almost transparent spider of the Thomasidae family.
Commonly members of this family live by ambush hunting in flowers.
crab spider collin hutton photography
Crab spiders Wikipedia
Other Koh Chang Archnids
Cosmophasis sp.
Image Copyright Jonathan Milnes
Observed: November 2015
Observed By: Jonathan Milnes
Cosmophasis is a genus of jumping spider found on Koh Chang that, as the name implies, gets around by extremely powerful and agile jumps.
They are small spiders of only a few millimetres length but have a bold and striking black and green-blue striped colouration. This one is a male, we’re not sure of the exact species, just the gender.
ID Navapol Komanasin
Garden or Writing Spider (Argiope sp., Araneidae)
Image Copyright David Newman
Observed: October 2015, Lonely Beach, Koh Chang
Observed By: David Newman
This spider is of the genus Argiope which are commonly known as garden spiders. It looks like the yellow garden spider but since they are common to North and Central America one it probably isn’t unless it hitched a lift in a backpack. It’s a close cousin anyway, feel free to let us know if you find the exact species.
As with most spiders the female garden spider is far larger than the male. They lay 400 to 1,400 eggs. They will kill insect prey up to twice their size and, reassuringly, they are harmless to humans.
Garden Spiders on Wikipedia
Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasteracanthra cancriformis)
Image Copyright 2015 David Vinot
Last Observed: February 2015, Koh Chang
Observed By: David Vinot
This small spiky shelled little spider is a member of the orb weaver family of spiders. It is found in many tropical locations worldwide and has an impressive number of aliases, being know by the following: the star spider, spiny-backed orbweaver, spiny orbweaver spider, crab-like orbweaver spider, crab-like spiny orbweaver spider, jewel spider, spiny-bellied orbweaver, jewel box spider, smiley face spider or sometimes in the Philippines, the king.
Spiny Orb-Weaver Wikipedia
Image Copyright 2015 David Vinot
NB: Clearly the two spiders pictured are different species of spiny orb-weaver. If someone can identify the black and white one we’ll add another page.
Giant Golden Orb Weaver Spider (Nephila Pelipes)
Image Copyright David Vinot
Last Observed: October 2015 – Koh Chang
Observations by By: Heli Pohjolainen, David Vinot, Tiger Maa, Dave Hinchliffe, Perry Stevens
This beautiful, but admittedly large and potentially scary spider is a common sight in the woodlands of Koh Chang. It builds huge and intricate webs and seldom if ever leaves them, waiting instead for lunch to fly into the trap.
If we could manufacture Golden Orb Web Spider silk, it would have a million uses; from parachutes, bullet-proof vests, lightweight clothing, seatbelts, light but strong ropes, as sutures in operations and artificial tendons and ligaments. The silk is almost as strong as Kevlar, the strongest man-made material which is drawn from concentrated sulphuric acid.
Giant Golden Orb Weaver Spider Wikipedia
Image Copyright Perry Stevens
Image Copyright 2015 David Vinot
Image Copyright 2015 Heli Pohjolainen
Image Copyright 2015 David Vinot
Image Copyright 2015 David Vinot
Image Copyright Perry Stevens
