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White-tailed (Lampona cylindrata & Lampona murina)

The white-tailed spider is a common name to Lampona murina and Lampona cylindrata. Both of them belong to the same genus Lampona meaning ‘to shine’. Although the spider is endemeic to Australia, the species has been observed in New Zealand.

White-tailed Spider

Scientific Classification

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size:Females are average 0.7 in (18 mm) while males are 0.4 in (12 mm) with an average leg span of 1.1 in (28 mm).

Color: Both the species have similar colorations with a dark red to gray body, banded legs in deep orange and brown shades. The abdomen is gray and has four white spots and at times there is another white spot near the spinnerets.

Other Characteristic Features:The body is cigar-shaped.

Male White Tail Spider
Female White-tailed Spider

Eggs

Around 80-100 pinkish eggs are there in a single disc-shaped sac. The female waits and take care of them until they hatch.

White Tail Spider Egg

Spiderlings

Upon hatching, the juvenile spiders are dispersed into the air and start looking for food on their own.

White-tailed Spider Baby

The Web

They do not make any web and directly hunt down the prey.

White Tail Spider Web

Are White-tailed Spiders Poisonous

White-tailed spiders can bite but the effect will be mild pain, skin discoloration with an itchy or burning sensation. It has wrongly been related to ulcer or necrosis for a long time, but that is entirely false as the bite is not detmiental in that extent. In the worst case scenario, the biting could result in vomiting, headache, and malaise but nothing more than that.

White Tail Spider

Quick Facts

Also known as White-tail spider
Distribution Eastern and southern Australia
Habitat Leaf litter, garden, shoes, towels, and heap of clothes
Diet Black house spiders, redback spiders, daddy-long-legs spiders, and curtain-web spiders
Lifespan 1-20 years
IUCN Conservation Status Not listed
White-tailed Spider Picture

Did You Know

  • The scientific name ‘murina’ implies mouse gray while the other species’ scientific name ‘cylindrata’ refers to the cylindrical body.
  • The term white-tailed spider can be applied to a wide range of spiders.

Image Credit: Biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au, Ozanimals.com, Australiangeographic.com.au, Media.australianmuseum.net.au,
Blog.tepapa.govt.nz, C1.staticflickr.com

The white-tailed spider is a common name to Lampona murina and Lampona cylindrata. Both of them belong to the same genus Lampona meaning ‘to shine’. Although the spider is endemeic to Australia, the species has been observed in New Zealand.

White-tailed Spider

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size:Females are average 0.7 in (18 mm) while males are 0.4 in (12 mm) with an average leg span of 1.1 in (28 mm).

Color: Both the species have similar colorations with a dark red to gray body, banded legs in deep orange and brown shades. The abdomen is gray and has four white spots and at times there is another white spot near the spinnerets.

Other Characteristic Features:The body is cigar-shaped.

Male White Tail Spider
Female White-tailed Spider

Eggs

Around 80-100 pinkish eggs are there in a single disc-shaped sac. The female waits and take care of them until they hatch.

White Tail Spider Egg

Spiderlings

Upon hatching, the juvenile spiders are dispersed into the air and start looking for food on their own.

White-tailed Spider Baby

The Web

They do not make any web and directly hunt down the prey.

White Tail Spider Web

Are White-tailed Spiders Poisonous

White-tailed spiders can bite but the effect will be mild pain, skin discoloration with an itchy or burning sensation. It has wrongly been related to ulcer or necrosis for a long time, but that is entirely false as the bite is not detmiental in that extent. In the worst case scenario, the biting could result in vomiting, headache, and malaise but nothing more than that.

White Tail Spider

Quick Facts

Also known as White-tail spider
Distribution Eastern and southern Australia
Habitat Leaf litter, garden, shoes, towels, and heap of clothes
Diet Black house spiders, redback spiders, daddy-long-legs spiders, and curtain-web spiders
Lifespan 1-20 years
IUCN Conservation Status Not listed
White-tailed Spider Picture

Did You Know

  • The scientific name ‘murina’ implies mouse gray while the other species’ scientific name ‘cylindrata’ refers to the cylindrical body.
  • The term white-tailed spider can be applied to a wide range of spiders.

Image Credit: Biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au, Ozanimals.com, Australiangeographic.com.au, Media.australianmuseum.net.au,
Blog.tepapa.govt.nz, C1.staticflickr.com

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