The white-tailed spider, (common species are Lampona cylindrata, Lampona murina) are medium-sized spiders from southern and eastern Australia, so named because of the whitish tips at the end of their abdomens. They have been introduced to New Zealand where they are considered a household pest.
By comparison with other well-known Australian spiders, white-tailed spiders do not appear to be particularly numerous, but may be responsible for a disproportionately high number of spider-bites because of their habits. Unlike the black house spider and the redback which are often seen in or around dwellings in a web, the white-tailed spider wanders around and may be encountered unexpectedly. Of the 130 recently-monitored cases, several spiders had been picked up off the floor accidentally by short sighted persons thinking that they were something else. More than 60% of the victims had been bitten by spiders that had got into clothing, into folded towels and into beds. In several more cases they were in shoes.
Information on the white-tail species is limited as they are only found in Australia and New Zealand with only a limited number of researchers working in the field.
