Heteropoda
Heteropoda is a genus of spiders in the family Sparassidae, the huntsman spiders. They are mainly distributed in tropical Asia and Australia, while at least one species, H. venatoria, has a cosmopolitan distribution,[1] and H. variegata occurs in the Mediterranean.[2]
These spiders catch and eat insects, but in a laboratory study one species readily ate fish and tadpoles when offered,[1] and H. venatoria has been known to eat scorpions and bats.[3]
The largest species in the genus, H. maxima, is about 4.6 centimeters long but has a legspan of up to 30 centimeters, therefore being the largest of any extant spider.[4]
