Mouse Spider

Missulena Occatoria

Appearance

• Mouse spiders are closely related to trapdoor and funnel web spiders but can be distinguished by their pronounced compact, squat and huge fang sheaths at the front of the head area
• Most species are dark brown or black in colour
• The body size reaches around 35mm, with the male being distinctly smaller and less robust.

Lifecycle

• Male mouse spiders search for a mate once they reach maturity at around four years of age. Mating takes place in the female’s burrow, after which the male dies
• The female lays 60 or more eggs within an egg sac that she plces into a brood chamber off the main shaft of her burrom. The spiderlings hatch from the egg sac over summer and remain with the mother into autumn when dispersal occurs

Habits

• Mouse spiders live in oval burrows up to a metre in length, often constructed in the banks of water courses. The females’s burrow usually has a hinged lid and is branched ‘Y’ shape. These spiders are common but are very secretive and rarely seen. Heavy rain often forces them out of their burrows and this is when they may be encountered
• The extremely large and robust fangs enable mouse spiders to overpower quite large food items. Even the thickest beetle shell is no match for these efficient weapons
• The venom is very toxic and, although no human deaths have ever been recorded, a bite from a mouse spider should be considered potentially life threatening and medical attention should be sought immediately