The Black House Spider (Badumna insignis) is a desid spider native to Australia, frequently found around eaves, window frames, door gaps, fences and bark crevices. It is a web‑building ambush predator that spins cribellate, woolly silk forming a tangled sheet with a tubular/funnel retreat, from which it intercepts prey.
Ecology & Biology
Activity: mainly nocturnal; often constructs webs near lights to catch moths and mosquitoes.
Diet: moths, midges, mosquitoes and beetles. The web is non‑sticky; capture relies on the hackled cribellate fibers entangling prey.
Reproduction: females build and guard egg sacs near the retreat; spiderlings disperse around the maternal web.
Identification
Body length: females 14–18 mm; males 10–12 mm (excluding legspan).
Colour: overall dark brown to blackish; carapace with pale setae and fine markings; abdomen mottled darker.
Silk/web: possesses a cribellum and calamistrum to produce woolly cribellate silk; web a messy sheet leading to a tubular retreat.
Range & Habitat
Native and widespread in Australia; introduced to New Zealand and recorded in other regions. Common in urban/suburban sites on walls, frames, timber piles, rock walls and under bark.
People & Safety
Medical relevance: generally low to moderate; bites cause local pain and swelling. It is not related to the medically significant Australian funnel‑web spiders (Atracidae).
Advice: fit screens, reduce night‑lighting or insect attraction, and remove old webs; relocate spiders gently with a cup‑and‑card.
IUCN: Not Evaluated (NE).
