There body shape should make them distinctive and easily recognised, but more recent research suggests many people misidentify them or mistake other spiders for white tailed spiders. There is little published research on their venom, but what little there is, supplemented by unpublished research available to our Unit, has failed to find necrotic activity in the venom of these spiders. Indeed, in one published study, they were the only Australian spiders tested which did not cause damage to rabbit skin or human skin tissue cultures. This does not prove they cannot damage skin, but certainly makes it unlikely they are the major cause of necrotic arachnidism. There are an increasing number of good quality case reports of white tailed spider bites.
Bites occur while the victim is awake and usually indoors.
These series of cases contrast with most cases of necrotic arachnidism, where the victim is usually asleep or in the garden, the bite is often not felt and the biting spider virtually never seen. There is local redness, often followed by blistering , then development of necrosis, over several days, but not the distinctive local lump swelling seen with white tailed spider bites. There are a few alleged white tailed spider bites recently reported where minor local necrosis has developed. For a variety of reasons, there is some doubt that these are genuine cases. Notoriety over necrotic arachnidism and white tailed spider bites has resulted in some spectacular fraudulent cases.