Venatrix pseudospeciosa

Fact Box Species: Venatrix pseudospeciosa (Identification as shown below) Family: Lycosidae Body length: female: about 9 mm male: about 11 mm Habitat: In a burrow in the ground Toxicity: Bites may cause mild illness

Note: The identity of the spider shown on this page is uncertain. It appears to be identical in markings with Venatrix pullastra as identified by Dr W. Framenau both on Flickr and in his 2014 book but Venatrix pullastra is claimed to be present only in Western Australia. Dr. Framenau also says that a very similar species, Venatrix pseudospeciosa, is found in Eastern Australia (which is where the spider shown above was found) and the photos of V. pseudospeciosa presented on the Tasmanian Spiders website are a reasonably good match for the one shown above. On the assumption that the range of Venatrix pseudospeciosa extends from Tasmania to as far north as South-east Queensland the spider shown on this page is provisionally accepted as Venatrix pseudospeciosa.

Known Range: Seems to be restricted to Southern NSW, all of Victoria, and SA as far west as Adelaide.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: A number of other lycosid species, especially members of the genus Venatrix.