Tūhura throws support behind ‘Shelob’ arachnid for top bug title

There are two types of people in the world — those who find a spider in the bathtub and use toilet tissue to carefully pick it up and put it outside and those who light the tissue and burn the entire house down.

With bodies exceeding 3cm and leg spans reaching up to 5cm, the black tunnelweb spider is New Zealand's heaviest, so you can understand why arachnophobes would choose the latter.

It does not help that a giant version of the spider was used as the villain — Shelob — in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

But Tūhura Otago Museum natural science collections technician On Lee Lau is hoping residents will learn to love the black tunnelweb and vote for it in the New Zealand Bug of the Year contest.

The campaign comes fresh off the successful 2025 campaign for the velvet worm.

She said bugs were unsung superstars, living and working every day in our gardens, farms and forests, providing food through pollination, breaking down and recycling nutrients from dead and decaying matter and organically controlling pest populations.

The black tunnelweb spider is most often seen in native bush environments, everywhere across the South Island except Fiordland.

They make their webs under rocks, logs and in hollows, and at night they sit poised near the entrance, rushing out to grab prey that ventures too close.

They mostly feed on crawling insects like beetles, but they have also been observed taking garden snails.

There are more than 20,000 species of insect in New Zealand alone and this Valentine’s Day would be a great time to show our love for them and vote for your favourite candidate in the Bug of the Year competition, she said.

The museum would hold a bug-themed event on February 14, to boost votes for New Zealand’s movie star spider.

"Many people have a natural fear of bugs — particularly spiders.

"It is important to give children permission to learn more about bugs and expose them to bugs in a safe environment.

"We’ve seen that children are engaged with the event, asking questions and talking to volunteers about their bug collections."

Bug Day will be a hive of activities, including games, crafts, face painting, expert speakers, stand-alone workshops to make RoboBugs and take-home resources to keep the whole family entertained.

There will also be a voting station for people to choose their top three picks for Bug of the Year 2026.

john.lewis@odt.co.nz