A Traps reader was intrigued to see and photograph this spider on the channel bank on Kyabram’s western boundary last week.
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‘‘Its bright colours attracted my attention. I had never seen one before like it around here,’’ the reader told Traps.
Further investigations revealed the spider was a male mouse spider.
Depending on the species, their abdomen is uniform black or dark blue, or black with a light grey to white patch on top.
They vary from 10mm to 35mm in body length and all have distinctive bulbous head and jaw regions. They are often confused with funnel-web spiders.
While mouse spider bites are not common, a few have caused serious effects in humans, with symptoms similar to funnel-web spider envenomations.
Fortunately, mouse spiders are not usually abundant in heavily populated urban areas.
Sheep truck rolls
Some 200 sheep perished or had to euthanised when a semi-trailer rolled over at the roundabout of the new Echuca-Moama bridge last Wednesday.
The semi-trailer was carrying 600 sheep at the time and the rollover was attributed to an overbalance through sheep movement when the vehicle was turning.
Traffic in the area was halted for six hours while surviving sheep were rounded up and the semi-trailed was righted and cleared from the area.
The 41-year-old driver of the semi-trailer and his four dogs escaped serious injury.
Photography competition
If you fancy yourself as a photographer and you love the outdoors, this could be for you.
The Goulburn Broken Catchment Authority is inviting nature lovers to submit entries for its 2024 calendar.
The calendar is renowned for its images and information on flora, fauna and natural landscapes. This year’s calendar was chosen from more than 300 entries.
To take part, submit colour photographs between 2MB and 10MB in a landscape format as JPEG images.
Email entries to janicem@gbcma.vic.gov.au
Include your name and address in the email with a subject line. Entries close on August 14.
Bail extension
The driver facing charges of dangerous driving causing the death of four people at Pine Lodge, east of Shepparton, in January this year has had his bail extended.
But the driver, Harinder Singh, of Shepparton, has had to provide a $270,000 surety with the extension and is also not to leave Australia.
The deceased were all Indian nationals who were visiting Australia at the time.
Another road death
Another life has been lost on a country road.
A man died in a collision between a ute and a truck on the Northern Hwy at Tooborac last Wednesday, causing the road to be closed for many hours.
The Heavy Vehicle Unit and Highway Patrol Unit are investigating the crash.
The Tooborac fatality came only three days after a 58-year-old Shepparton man died when a vehicle rolled down a 10-metre embankment on the Euroa-Mansfield Rd.
The man was a passenger in a car in which two other Shepparton men, aged 47 and 40, were also passengers.
Vandals strike
Vandals have caused at least $10,000 worth of damage to buildings at the Koonoomoo Recreation Reserve.
Two buildings were broken into and windows, roller doors, tables and barbecues were targeted by the vandals.
Banks like dinosaurs
Banking on banks, particularly in rural areas, is becoming a bit like dinosaurs — extinct.
Just after Tatura got the message it is losing its last bank, the National Australian Bank, there is a strong whisper Finley might find itself in the same position with the same banking company.
Try as she has, NSW Member For Murray Helen Dalton has been unable to get a definitive response on the future of the town’s sole bank, which is not a good sign.
Warm winter nights
Just 0.2mm of rain has been recorded at the Kyabram weather station in the past week.
The total for July is 12mm and the yearly total now stands at 258mm.
The maximum temperature last week was 17°C on Tuesday and 16.4°C on Wednesday, the warmest maximum since the mercury hit 16.9°C on June 7.
Minimum temperatures have plunged, with Monday’s -0.9 the lowest for July so far.
Did you know?
1. Australia is the sixth largest country by size, covering 7.692 million kilometres but with a population of just over 25 million. It is only 55th on the list of largest countries by population.
2. Australia was the second country to give women the vote in 1902.
3. Australia is the only continent that doesn’t have an active volcano.
4. The largest Greek population outside Athens can be found in Melbourne.