杏吧原创

FROM the continent that brought you the earliest human observations of spiders in Arnhem Land rock art (depicting them in the bellies of fish), and the culture that made a national folk song of There鈥檚 a Red Back on the Toilet Seat comes a plea for clemency. Amateur entomologist, photographer and educator, Bert Simon-Brunet asks us to understand these greatly feared eight-legged creatures.

Not even the long-standing arachnophobe would fail to be impressed by the 220 colour photographs and 20 colour illustrations that accompany the text, examining the extraordinary diversity of spider approaches to habitat, survival and reproduction on the world鈥檚 largest island. On the page, rather than hiding in your back shed, the eight-eyed, hairy spiders invite the nonspecialist to cool-headed classification, encouraged by Brunet鈥檚 clarity of text.

Taxonomically, Brunet has organised the book around the use each spider makes of the art of spinning its delicate and versatile silk for webs and homes and for insulating its young. An introduction to the evolution and anatomy of spiders leads to descriptions of habitat and to a fascinating chapter on spider reproduction.

It is here that a slight tendency to anthropomorphism emerges, as Brunet regales us with descriptions of the voracious appetite of the larger female spiders, especially for their male consorts, and, alarmingly, during or just after copulation. Many male spiders have developed ingenious courtship techniques to survive, for example, using silken threads to tie the female down, after tickling and caressing her, or 鈥渄rumming the (female鈥檚) web in a way she understands. As he continues, she falls into a kind of trance, being serenaded by his 鈥榤usic鈥�.鈥�

Brunet lines himself up with the 鈥渘o means yes鈥� school of interpreting sexual behaviour when he describes the courtship of jumping spiders, the Salticidae. The males of tropical species use bright iridescent colours and patterns that serve them well, Brunet says, by 鈥渓ulling the female into a receptive state. If she runs away when he gets near her, it is generally a sign that she is interested.鈥� But how can he know that 鈥渟ome spiders are able to copulate with females without them even knowing 鈥� while the female is engaged in wrapping prey or busy feeding, a male will time his approach with precision and may achieve a successful mating without her being aware of his presence.鈥� Might it not be that some ladylike spiders wish not to appear too eager?

The section on maternal care of some spider species came as a surprise, with the female wolf spider of the family Lycosidae winning the 鈥淢other of the Year Award鈥� for her work with her brood, from the time she carries them around for months in their silken egg sac until a couple of hundred spiderlings pour out and settle down in rows on her back where they stay in an orderly fashion as she carries them around for up to another seven months. Brunet finds this attachment strange, for apparently it is usual for Ms Wolf Spider to live a 鈥渟olitary, grim existence, with an insatiable hunger and so little affection and patience for her male counterpart鈥�.

The centre of the book is a poetic account of the uses of spider silk by humans and spiders, with an informative listing of descriptions, toxicity, habitats, distribution and courtship patterns of the most interesting and alarming creatures you鈥檙e ever likely to meet on an Australian toilet seat.