Stanwellia grisea
Melbourne Trapdoor Spider Identification in Australia
Robust southern Victorian burrow spider with a mottled rib-like abdomen; despite its common name, its silk-lined burrow has no trapdoor lid.
Painful but usually not life-threateningThe Melbourne trapdoor spider, Stanwellia grisea, is a robust brown mygalomorph native to southern Victoria. Its misleading common name creates the first identification trap: both sexes dig deep silk-lined burrows in soft soil, but Museums Victoria states that the entrance has no hinged trapdoor. A female can reach about 35 mm body length and usually remains near her burrow; the smaller mature male may wander through gardens, houses or pools in autumn and early winter. Brown colour, a Melbourne address or a round hole is not enough for a species identification. Use the mottled rib-like abdominal pattern, body proportions, open burrow, season and supported range together, and keep an unclear photograph at Stanwellia or trapdoor-spider level.
Quick identification
- Robust, hairy mygalomorph body, light to dark brown rather than identified from black colour alone
- Paler abdomen often carries dark mottled transverse marks that can look ribbed
- Two conspicuous spinnerets project from the rear of the abdomen
- Open silk-lined burrow in soft soil, up to about 40 cm deep, without a hinged trapdoor
- Southern Victorian locality; mature males up to about 25 mm may wander in autumn or early winter
What to check next
Photograph the whole spider from above and the side without touching it, add a body-only scale, and record the exact locality, date and whether it came from an open silk-lined burrow. Photograph the complete entrance before garden work changes it. Retain a broader identification if the abdomen, spinnerets, sex or burrow is not clear.
When to seek medical help
Museums Victoria says the large fangs can produce a deep, painful wound with local redness, swelling, burning or itching, while the venom is not known to cause serious medical problems. For a clearly witnessed ordinary spider bite, wash with soap and water and use a wrapped cold pack. Call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or seek medical care if pain is severe or persistent, swelling spreads, the wound worsens, or the person becomes unwell; call 000 for breathing difficulty, collapse or anaphylaxis. If the spider could instead be a funnel-web, call 000, keep the person still and use pressure immobilisation. Do not handle or provoke a spider to settle the identification.
Where it is usually seen
Soft earth in southern Victoria, including garden beds, lawns, urban edges, open ground and soil beneath or beside rocks. The permanent silk-lined burrow may reach about 40 cm deep. Mature males can turn up away from soil in houses, garages and swimming pools while searching for females.