Troglodiplura lowryi
Nullarbor Cave Trapdoor Spider Identification in Australia
A rare blind cave spider from the Western Australian Nullarbor. A permanently dark cave habitat is required for this possibility.
Avoid handling; bite effects uncertainAbout Nullarbor cave trapdoor spider
Troglodiplura lowryi belongs to Anamidae. It is one of the specialised mygalomorph spiders of the Nullarbor cave system, with eye loss and elongated appendages associated with life in darkness. This is not a usual backyard trapdoor spider. A brown spider in a shed, under a garden rock or beside a cave entrance should not receive this name simply because it has long legs.
The genus was once treated as containing just one species. A later revision recognised additional species, so older reports under lowryi do not establish its present range. The current World Spider Catalog records T. lowryi from Western Australia. Published material is scarce and includes fragments, so this guide does not claim that a photograph can distinguish the species. Keep any observation provisional and seek a museum specialist. Protect the cave floor and its inhabitants; leave animals and remains in place and do not enter a cave solely to find this spider.
Identification limit: this guide is a comparison aid. A name match in the identifier does not establish a species record.
Compare similar spiders
Sources and further reading
- World Spider Catalog: Troglodiplura lowryi
- Western Australian Museum: revised cave-spider diversity
- Healthdirect: spider-bite first aid
Reviewed 21 September 2026. Identification guide; not a confirmed species diagnosis.
Quick identification
- Permanently dark cave setting
- No eyes in the specialised cave-adapted form
- Elongated legs relative to a typical burrowing mygalomorph
- Museum confirmation needed for species identification
What to check next
Photograph the whole spider and its surroundings without disturbing it. Use the clues together; a close match is not a confirmed species identification.
When to seek medical help
Do not handle or probe the retreat. If a bite could be from a funnel-web or mouse spider, call 000 and follow pressure-immobilisation first aid. Do not wait for identification. Poisons advice: 13 11 26.
Where it is usually seen
Permanently dark Nullarbor cave habitat in Western Australia. Other Troglodiplura occur elsewhere in the Nullarbor and must not automatically be called T. lowryi.