It is a terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, herb with an underground tuber and a single hairy leaf.

It is similar to Caladenia tentaculata but has smaller flowers, sepals with narrower glandular tips, straight lateral sepals and a narrower labellum.

[2] The species was first formally described by David Jones who gave it the name Arachnorchis atrovespa in The Orchadian from a specimen collected on Black Mountain in the Australian Capital Territory.

[4] The specific epithet (atrovespa) is derived from the Latin words atra meaning "black" and vespa meaning "wasp", referring to the large black thynnid that pollinates this orchid.

This caladenia grows on slopes and ridges in drier forests in southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.