White Tailed Spiders have a dark red/grey, long body and eight dark orange/brown legs. Males grow up to about 12mm, while females are generally larger at 18mm. Their grey dorsal abdomen bears two pairs of faint white spots that are less distinct in adults, with a white spot at the tip; the male has a hard, scute (narrow plate) on the front of the abdomen.

Habitat

White Tailed Spiders are found in southern and eastern Australia including south Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and southern Western Australia.

Toxicity

The White Tailed Spider's bite is often related to severe, untreatable ulceration and skin lesions known medically as "necrotising arachnidism", however, this is largely a myth as confirmed by several case studies. Minor bacterial infection of the wound is most likely the cause of such cases of ulceration.

However, fact states that their bites usually cause an initial burning pain followed by swelling and itchiness of the bitten area. Occasionally, weals or blistering occurs.

Removal

White Tailed Spiders infesting your house can be controlled by catching and removing any that you come across and by removing the webs of other smaller spiders, upon which they feed.