Missulena bradleyi Bradley's Mouse Spider. This is the most common and widespread Mouse Spider in eastern Australia. It was initially thought to be confined to NSW. The females are large and very strong, with powerful chelicerae. A 7-year-old boy had a female Mouse Spider so fiercely attached to his finger the attending GP had to crush the spider to get the fangs out. The boy complained only of minor hunger pains as in the excitement, he had missed lunch. ♀ 20 mm ♂14 mm
Female The Gap Brisbane QLD
Photo: Robert Whyte
Male Mudgeeraba QLD
The male Missulena bradleyi has an all-black carapace and pale bluish area on top of the abdomen.
Photo: Adam Maund
Female Brisbane QLD
The burrow can be found by brushing away loose dirt in an area where they live until a flap of silk indicative of the entrance is found.
Photo: Robert Whyte
References
- Missulena bradleyi at the World Spider Catalogue - Missulena bradleyi Rainbow, 1914
Distribution: New South Wales
Rainbow, W. J. (1914a). Studies in the Australian Araneidae. No. 6. The Terretelariae. Records of the Australian Museum 10: 187-270.
Womersley, H. (1943). A revision of the spiders of the genus Missulena Walckenaer 1805. Records of the South Australian Museum 7: 249-269. - Dr Robert Raven Senior Curator - Arachnids (Spiders)