Identifying mouse spiders

Female Red-headed Mouse Spider (Missulena occatoria)

Male Eastern Mouse Spider (Missulena bradleyi)

• Mouse spiders have high, bulbous heads and jaws
• The carapace is smooth and shiny
• The eyes are spread across the front of the carapace, not closely grouped
• The spinnerets are short, the last segment domed and button-like
• Male spiders have long slender pedipalps
• Male spiders have no mating spurs on the legs
• Males of some species have distinctive colour markings but others are black overall

The following key features distinguish the mouse spiders from other large black spiders:

• bulbous head and jaws
• shiny carapace
• eyes spread across front of carapace
• short spinnerets

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