Overview

• A homeowner in Parndorf, Burgenland, photographed a large spider inside her house, and the Naturschutzbund confirmed it as the Southern Russian tarantula (Lycosa singoriensis).
• The Naturschutzbund is asking people not to kill the spiders, calling them locally threatened in Austria and advising that they be carefully taken back outside.
• For identification and monitoring, residents are being directed to upload photos to naturbeobachtung.at, which lists 187 records and notes a seasonal rise in autumn sightings.
• Experts describe the species as large but typically harmless to healthy adults, with bites comparable to a bee or wasp sting, while children and allergic individuals should seek care if symptoms persist.
• The spider favors dry, sandy ground and spends days in self-dug burrows, occasionally straying into garages or homes, and media suggest warming conditions could enable future establishment in Germany.