About Lampona murina L.Koch, 1873
This entry covers Lampona murina, one of the two common species of white-tailed spiders, alongside its close relative Lampona cylindrata. The two species are very similar in appearance. L. cylindrata is slightly larger, with females reaching up to 18 mm long in body length, males up to 12 mm, and an approximate leg span of 28 mm. The two species cannot be easily distinguished without microscopic examination. Both are slender spiders with dark reddish to grey, cigar-shaped bodies and dark orange-brown banded legs. Their grey abdomens have two pairs of faint white spots, and usually (but not always) a distinct white spot at the tip just above the spinnerets. Their close similarity has led many people to think there is only one species of white-tailed spider, and it is possible that not all white-tailed species have yet been identified. The name "white-tailed" applies to a variety of spider species that share a distinctive distal white abdominal mark; other spider markings disappear with moulting, but the white tail mark remains into adulthood. L. cylindrata lays pinkish eggs that are enclosed in a flattened silk capsule, guarded by the female until they hatch. Both species are native to Australia. L. cylindrata occurs across south-east Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia, while L. murina is found in eastern Australia from north-east Queensland to Victoria. Both species have been introduced to New Zealand: L. murina has lived in the North Island for over a hundred years, while L. cylindrata has become widespread across the South Island since 1980. White-tailed spiders live in gardens, inside houses, and beneath bark and rocks. They do not build webs. They are most active at night, when they hunt other spiders. Their favoured prey are the black house spider (Badumna insignis) and the closely related brown house spider (Badumna longinqua); both of these prey species are native to Australia, like the white-tailed spiders, and have been inadvertently introduced to New Zealand.
