The team concluded that the Sydney funnel-web spider, which was previously known to have varying characteristics, is actually comprised of three different species. Loria and her colleagues reclassified them as the “classic” Sydney funnel-web (Atrax robustus), from the Central Coast and Sydney Basin; the Southern Sydney funnel-web (Atrax montanus), mostly from the Blue Mountains south and west of Sydney; and the Newcastle funnel-web (Atrax christenseni), near the city north of Sydney of the same name.
As luck would have it for Newcastlers, the Newcastle funnel-web was nicknamed “Big Boy” since it is the largest of the three species.
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The team concluded that the Sydney funnel-web spider, which was previously known to have varying characteristics, is actually comprised of three different species. Loria and her colleagues reclassified them as the “classic” Sydney funnel-web (Atrax robustus), from the Central Coast and Sydney Basin; the Southern Sydney funnel-web (Atrax montanus), mostly from the Blue Mountains south and west of Sydney; and the Newcastle funnel-web (Atrax christenseni), near the city north of Sydney of the same name.
As luck would have it for Newcastlers, the Newcastle funnel-web was nicknamed “Big Boy” since it is the largest of the three species.