Aname species
Northern Wishbone Spider Identification in Australia
Conservative genus-level guide to northern Australian Aname wishbone spiders: stocky burrowing mygalomorphs with silk-lined open retreats, often noticed when mature males wander after rain.
Painful but usually not life-threatening“Northern wishbone spider” is a regional field label, not one species. The genus Aname contains an exceptionally diverse Australian radiation, and a 2025 revision of subtropical and tropical eastern Australia treated 68 species and described 55 as new. A plausible match is a stocky brown-to-dark mygalomorph associated with an open silk-lined soil burrow that may branch underground into a shorter escape arm—the “wishbone”. Some species carry bronze, gold or silver iridescent hairs. Mature males may cross paths, patios or verandahs after rain while seeking females. These clues support Aname or Anamidae, not a species name; northern Australia contains many locally restricted species requiring adult anatomy and often DNA.
Quick identification
- Stocky mygalomorph with powerful vertical jaws, compact eyes and brown-to-black body
- Open silk-lined ground burrow; hidden shorter branch may form the wishbone or escape chute
- Bronze, gold or silver hairs occur in some species but are not universal
- Female remains in the burrow; mature male may wander after rain while seeking a mate
- Northern locality supports only a regional Aname match, never an exact species by itself
What to check next
Photograph the whole spider from above with zoom, the first legs and palps if naturally visible, the open retreat and surrounding soil. Record body length without legs and exact locality. Never excavate the branch to prove a wishbone shape. Use Anamidae when the genus characters are unclear.
When to seek medical help
No reliable genus-wide Australian clinical series was found that predicts the effects of an Aname bite, and “northern wishbone spider” covers many species. Avoid handling; a defensive bite may cause local pain. Wash a clearly identified minor bite with soap and water and apply a cold pack. Seek medical advice for severe or persistent pain, increasing swelling, vomiting, sweating, breathing difficulty or any spreading symptoms; call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice. If a dark robust spider from eastern Australia could be a funnel-web or mouse spider, do not wait for identification: call 000, keep the person still and apply pressure immobilisation. Call 000 for collapse or anaphylaxis.
Where it is usually seen
Soil burrows in open ground, tropical and subtropical woodland, savanna, forest edges, grassland, lawns and garden margins across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Individual species may be confined to one bioregion or substrate; the broad page filters describe the regional genus, not the range of every species.