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Racing Stripe Spiders
Mottled False Wolf spider (Mituliodon tarantulinus, family Miturgidae)
Identification
Brown, entirely mottled above with 2 bands or lines of white spots underneath. All eyes small.
Able to climb glass.
Length: Legs span 5 cm.
Distribution
Status: Common.
Coastal in eastern, South and Western Australia and Tasmania, Open forest, grasslands. Common in litter.
Bite
Minor local reactions.
Notes
Summer breeding.
Main prey: small insects, other spiders.
Similar species
Wolf spiders.
Striped Swamp spider (Miturga gilva, family Miturgidae)
Identification
Dark legs with dark stripes on head and body; two white stripes from V under body.
Unable to climb vertical glass.
Leg span up to 70mm.
Bite
None known.
Distribution
Coastal Australia, including Tasmania but not yet reported from Northern Territory. Habitat: Moist aquatic habitats near swamps, mangroves, creeks.
Notes
Known to be a major food source for Cattle Egrets and presumably other birds that hunt on the ground in marshy ground.
Fast-moving, ground hunter. Main prey: insects.
Breeding: Summer maturing; egg sacs not carried but attached to bark or tree.
Similar species
Many in the same genus.
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