These medium sized, eight legged beasties have bulbous heads and huge jaws and you can find them in most habitats from leafy forests to semi-arid shrub country. Here in the Top End our Missulena pruinosa is easy to recognise with its strong, shiny black and stocky body and legs. Males have a creamy white patch on the upper side of their abdomen that helps them blend in with the undergrowth.

In southern Australia, they can easily be confused with funnel-web spiders. Luckily, we don’t have that difficulty here as even the northern tree funnel-web only travels as far as South East Queensland. Even knowing this it can still be confronting to come across a mouse spider, as they are large and can be aggressive and quick to rise to a striking position.

A Junior Ranger family had an unexpected and slightly surprising visitor the other day. They found a male mouse spider strolling across their lounge room. The little guy was probably looking for love in all the wrong places.

Male Missulena are unusual rebels in the secretive spider world. Many mygalomorph or trapdoor-like spiders are nocturnal, ambushing dinner and looking for a mate under the cover of darkness. The mighty Missulena however is more robust and wanders about looking for a lady on warm and sweaty afternoons after rain, but he is still mostly nocturnal.

Mouse spiders build burrows that protect them from high temperatures and hungry predators. They line these tunnels with silk and build a side chamber off the main burrow that they close with a trapdoor and use as a safe place to hide from predators. They also have two lids, which is a unique characteristic of mouse spiders.  Female spiders will also use it as a refuge for her egg sac and spiderlings.

Lady Missulena never leave their burrow, but blokes are inclined to get itchy feet after rain and will often go wandering. Luckily, Junior Ranger families are a sensible lot and our heroes of the hour gently, but firmly, ushered their little visitor out of the house and into a more suitable location outside.

If you are the recipient of a less than welcome visit from an eight-legged troubadour please be careful. Mouse spider venom is potentially quite toxic although both bites and cases of severe envenomation are extremely rare. St Johns Ambulance recommends applying a broad crepe bandage firmly to the affected limb and seeking medical assistance.