M. rapax is the common Brown Trapdoor Spider around Sydney. Aganippe group spiders are found across southern Australia west of the Great Dividing Range and include the Adelaide Trapdoor Spider, A. subtristis . Sigillate Trapdoor burrows are made with soil or litter trapdoors. Trapdoor spiders are 1.5-3 cm body length. They have short, blunt spinnerets.
Males have a small double spur halfway along their first leg.
There are often pale bars across the abdomen. Males have thick 'boxing glove' palps. Brown Trapdoor spider eyes are arranged in two compact rows. Their eyes are arranged in three rows. Brown Trapdoor Spiders are often mistaken for Funnel-web spiders but their bites are not dangerous.