Everything You Need to Know About the White Tail Spider

The White tail spider is native to Australia and New Guinea. They are vagrant hunters that prefer to prey at night in and around the family home. The White tail spider bite has been associated with ulcerating lesions, but whether this is true continues to be debated.

The White-tailed spider, which is more commonly known as the White tail spider, is native to Australia and New Guinea.

The White tail spider is commonly found in bush and urban environments across the country, and its bite has been sensationally associated with a phenomenon called necrotic arachnidism.

The question is, is the White tail spider really the flesh-eating monster that the media has made it out to be? Let’s take a closer look…

What is the White tail spider?

There are two common species of White tail spider, Lampona cylindrata and Lampona murina, both of which form part of the Lampona genus that is native to Australia.

The White tail spider is a vagrant hunter. Rather than spinning webs to catch and eat insects, it prefers to hunt and feast on other spiders in the dead of night.

The White tail spider has been known to eat Curtain-web spiders, Daddy-long-legs spiders, Redback spiders, and Black house spiders.

What does the White tail spider look like?

The White tail spider has a cylindrical, cigar-shaped body that is grey to dark reddish in colour.

Their most distinctive feature is a white spot at the tip of their abdomen. White tails that are grey in colour also sometimes have two pairs of faint white spots on the top of their dorsal abdomen, though these tend to be less distinct in adults.

They are also known to have dark orange-brown bands on their legs, which can span up to 5 cm in length.

Where is the White tail spider found?

Lampona murina is found in eastern Australia, including northeast Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria.

Lampona cylindrata, meanwhile, prefers the cold, and can be found across southern Australia, including southeast Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and southern Western Australia.

In the outdoors, the White tail spider likes to live beneath bark, rocks, and leaf litter. However, when the weather gets warm, they tend to roam into houses and hide in sheltered nooks, crannies, and between pieces of fabric.

Is the White tail spider aggressive towards humans?

The White tail spider is not aggressive, and they typically only bite humans when they are startled.

Per Australian Geographic, most victims sustained a White tail spider bite when they stumbled across a White tail spider in their clothes, towels, or bedding.

This is why most White tail spider bites occur between 4pm and 8am, and on the lower arms and hands or lower legs and feet (according to myDr.com.au). It is important to remember, the White tail spider does not roam around the house to hunt humans: they roam around the home to hunt their preferred prey, the Black house spider.

White tail spider bite

As cited by the Queensland Museum, the White tail spider is relatively harmless to humans, as their venom is among the weakest of Australian household spiders.

The White tail spider bite mostly occurs on the arms and legs, and they typically only result in mild symptoms that are similar to those of a bee sting, including:

• A burning or itching sensation at the site of the White tail spider bite.
• A lump or swelling at the site of the White tail spider bite.
• Skin discolouration, such as a red mark or irritation, at the site of the White tail spider bite.
• Mild or moderate pain or discomfort at the site of the White tail spider bite.

These symptoms tend to last for only 24 hours, though some can take days or weeks to disappear entirely, such as the skin discolouration.

In rarer cases, the White tail spider bite can cause:

• Severe pain or discomfort at the site of the White tail spider bite.
• Nausea, vomiting, headache, or a general feeling of unwellness.

The White tail spider is known to wander around houses. However, they are not actively aggressive towards humans and prefer to prey on the Black house spider, among others.

Does the White tail spider bite cause ulcers?

Since the 1980s, there have been numerous media reports associating the White tail spider bite with severe ulcerative skin lesions.

However, in most of these cases, there was no direct evidence of a White tail spider bite.

Likewise, a 2003 study conducted by Dr Geoff Isbister, an envenomation expert, produced no cases of ulceration, despite testing over 100 verified cases of a White tail spider bite.

As such, the available evidence suggests that the White tail spider bite is very unlikely to cause severe ulcerations.

First aid for a White tail spider bite

• Reassure the casualty and keep them under constant observation.
• Apply a cold compress to the bite site for periods of up to 20 minutes to lessen the pain.
• If the casualty is a young child (under 8 years), a pregnant woman, or if they exhibit any signs of deterioration, follow the basic life support guidelines per DRSABCD and call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance.
• DO NOT use the Pressure Immobilisation Technique, as the venom moves slowly and this will just worsen the pain.

If you are worried about your symptoms, or if they get worse instead of better, seek medical attention.

Spider bites and anaphylaxis

Some people can have a severe allergic reaction to a White tail spider bite. This is called anaphylaxis, a condition that can be fatal in as little as 15 minutes. Symptoms include:

• Tightness of the throat from swelling.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Tongue and facial swelling.
• Hoarse voice or difficulty speaking.
• A wheeze or persistent cough.
• Collapse or falling unconscious.
• Becoming pale or floppy (young children).
• Abdominal pain and vomiting.
• Hives, welts, and body redness.

If the casualty begins exhibiting any of the above symptoms, call Triple Zero (000) for an ambulance, consult the Australian Resuscitation Council’s anaphylaxis treatment guideline, and follow DRSABCD and prepare to perform CPR.

Final Thoughts

The White tail spider is native to Australia, and they regularly frequent tight spaces in and around the home.

Rather than biting humans, the White tail spider prefers to hunt other spiders — in fact, they could almost be considered useful around the home, as they are known to kill more dangerous spiders like Redback spiders and Funnel-web spiders.

If you sustain a White tail spider bite, do not panic — despite what the media says, you are unlikely to develop necrotic ulcers. Instead, manage the pain with cold compresses and watch for signs of deterioration or anaphylaxis.

Recommended resources

If you would like to learn more about providing first aid in the event of a White tail spider bite, book a First Aid course with us today.

We also have articles on what to do if you get stung or bitten by a snake, fire ant, and different types of marine life.

And for more details on how to identify and treat bites from some of Australia’s deadliest spiders, head to our Resource Library.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute, replace, or qualify as any form of first aid training.

Originally published at https://australiawidefirstaid.com.au