SYDNEY: Australian scientists have discovered a bigger, more venomous species of the Sydney funnel-web spider, one of the world’s deadliest.

The new funnel-web species has earned the nickname “Big Boy” and was first discovered in the early 2000s near Newcas­tle, 170 km north of Sydney, by Kane Christe­nsen, a spider enthusiast and former head of spiders at the Australian Reptile Park.

“This particular spider is a lot larger, its venom glands are a lot larger and its fangs are a lot longer,” he said.

In research released on Monday, scientists from the Australian Museum, Flinders University and Germany’s Leibniz Insti­tute said the “Big Boy” would be classified as a separate species of funnel-web spider. Scientists have named the 9-centimetre long species as Atrax christenseni, after Christen­sen’s contributions to the research.

The nocturnal black arachnids are usually spotted within around 150 km of Sydney and are mostly active between November and April.

Only the male Sydney funnel-web, which carries a much stronger venom, is responsible for human deaths. A total of 13 deaths have been recorded though no human fatalities have occurred since the development of antivenom in the 1980s.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025

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