Mouse spiders
Mouse spiders belong to the genus Missulena which also includes trapdoor spiders. There are eight described species of mouse spider throughout mainland Australia. The most common include the Eastern mouse spider (M. bradleyi) which is found on the eastern costal and highland regions, and the red-headed mouse spider (M. occatoria) which is much wider spread (especially throughout the Great Dividing Range). Mouse spiders are occasionally mistaken for funnel web spiders.
Mouse spiders are aggressive and will adopt an attacking posture (rearing up on hind legs) when threatened. They have large, thick fangs capable of inflicting a painful and potentially serious bite. The female Missulena occatoria produces copious amounts of highly toxic venom. Preliminary toxicity testing performed at the former Commonwealth Serum Laboratories showed that the venom is potentially as dangerous as that of the Sydney funnel web spider. Recent work on venom from the male M. bradleyi suggests that it acts in a manner similar to that of the venom from Blue Mountains funnel web spider (Hadronyche versuta). Funnel web spider antivenom can attenuate this effect. However, significant envenomation by this type of spider is rare and they do not seem to represent the same hazards that funnel web spiders do. Only one case (from south-east Queensland) of mouse spider bite requiring treatment with funnel web antivenom has been described.
Mouse spiders are quite small and squat (only 1 to 3cm in length) with the females being the largest of the species. Both sexes have a shiny body, a high broad head, and widespread eyes along the front. Their jaws are very large and protrude outwards. The male eastern mouse spider is black with a bluish-white patch on the front of its abdomen. The female is black without any markings. As the name suggests, male red-headed mouse spiders have a red head and red jaws. Their abdomens are a gunmetal blue. The females however are quite different. They are brown or black all over, some have only a slight red-tinge to their jaws.
Like many trapdoor spiders, mouse spiders make vertical burrows lined with silk which have a door at the entrance. Mouse spiders prey mainly on insects. Their many predators include parasitic wasps, bandicoots, scorpions and centipedes.
