Arachnida , a favourite of mine...

The most abundant and visible are huntsmen spiders , known to locals as "tarantulas" but totally different to the Raiders of the Lost Ark variety. They live under bark (I have disturbed nests with one huge angry mum and hundreds of thumb-sized babies) and rocks (especially under large flakes of weathered dolerite ) . Being fond of warmth , they are attracted into car interiors (may drop down off the sunvisor with disastrous results) and houses (up walls , on ceilings). Like most critters if handled thoughtlessly they could bite and leave an infected wound. But they are not fatal unless you drive off the road or veer into the path of an oncoming vehicle...or die of fright.










Black house spiders are also common , especially in sheds - making funnel-like webs . They can bite.


The red and black spider , or Ambicodamus crinitus.
Supports the mighty Essendon football club.











Red back spiders are uncommon here. I found one under the water main lid.They are shy and fragile but can envenomate . Fatalities are fortunately very rare.

Wolf spiders are pretty cool! They live in burrows in the ground and often when mowing in summer you catch sight of them scurrying very fast between the blades of grass. Who wouldn't? They are reasonably large and I daresay might bite if annoyed. You can play with them though. If you tickle the entrance to the burrow with a blade of grass they rush out & grab it.
Shelob? Not quite but http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWueloH6XFI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fmy_videos_edit2&feature=player_embedded

I have not encountered trap door and funnel web spiders locally. They are both moderately venomous. The Sydney funnel web , not found in Tassy is horribly aggressive. Big spiders , apparently they rear up - with venom dripping from the fangs...

Small scorpions are found in relative abundance. They can sting but so far I have been lucky.

Ants

The Tasmanian jack jumper ant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmecia_pilosula is commonly encountered and I have been stung maybe 15 times. Fortunately I am not part of the small but significant percentage of Tasmanians who suffer potentially fatal anaphylactic reactions to the venom. This has been a real issue , so much so that local Dr Simon Brown and colleagues eventually developed a vaccine to protect those at risk.
This is a comprehensive look at stinging ants http://home.iprimus.com.au/foo7/jumperant.html

"jack jumper ants cause more deaths in Tasmania than spiders, snakes, wasps, and sharks combined "- wiki


The ants make nests in the ground , usually mounds about a foot across or under rocks. Here's a nest about 30 metres from our house.http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=38S0MWcnY34  If disturbed they rush from ALL directions and jump & run skittishly , usually finding a crevice down one's boot. They can easily bite through clothes and do so repeatedly. Often you get hit by two or three. Unlike bees the sting does not kill them. The bites are very painful , and later itch like crazy. If I discover a nest near the house ( by the clothes line is a favourite haunt ) I will destroy the nest with boiling water. It is my role as family protector...

At left is one of a pair I found on foraging patrol. They were fairly docile but this was as close as i could get - they will jump on your hand if given the chance. This critter is the size of a fingernail.


Here you can see one carrying a stone! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1fayFLfnIA  - just keeping the nest in good repair. I took an ant to work where we have a very accurate set of laboratory scales. It weighed 30mg - the stone an incredible 70mg - 2 1/2 x bodyweight!


Bull ants , aka "inchmen" are also aggressive and make similar nests. They are not so common and don't attack with the same speed or ferocity. But like a bulldog,  their large pincer-like jaws grab and the stinger is in the tail...like a bee sting. I can vouch for the sting being very painful...a burning pain, typical of the acidic venom these stinging insects possess. Here's my middle finger 2 days after a sting - swollen , red , and itchy/painful. 2 days after this I competed in a lifting competition. Bad timing!





Centipedes


A few years ago I caught this large green centipede who certainly refused to stay still to have her photo taken. So I scanned her instead! She made a full recovery. She can give a nasty bite; it pays to be careful.

Her fancy name is Cormocephalus westwoodi  and you can read more here : http://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/zoology/multipedes/tascenti/censco/cencorm.html


Caterpillars
The caterpillar of the painted cup moth ( Doratifera oxleyi ), a species that can skeletonise the leaves of gum trees. We have these on E. Amygdalina & Pulchella species.The eight yellow triangles are stinging hairs which pop up when the caterpillar is disturbed, as per the second & third pictures. Whilst brushing up against eucalypt foliage , I have suffered a few stings which are instantly painful and leave an itchy rash which lasts up to a week.

The tips of the hairs break off & release histamines into the skin. Using adhesive tape on a recent contact can remove some of the hairs & reduce the severity of the reaction.

More on this here http://medent.usyd.edu.au/fact/caterpillars.htm




Here I made a small scary caterpillar movie http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=TV8u0n2JIvg

Far left - a juvenile version

Left - yoga headstand!


















Bees & wasps

Bumblebee

These are a feral introduction (1992) thus far confined to Tasmania. They have the potential to spread weeds and reduce nectar for native birds. They can sting , but are not aggressive in my experience.   http://www.aussiebee.com.au/bumblebeeid.html










Dragonfly in one of the pond plants