[citation needed] They can be easily identified by the raised morphology of their caput (the front part of the cephalothorax).

If identification is not certain, they can be distinguished from Atrax by the unmodified or blunt apophysis in their second tibia, or from Illawarra by the male tarsi, which have two instead of three ventral spine rows.

[6] While Australian funnel-web spider venom is medically significant, no human fatalities as a result have been recorded since the introduction of antivenom in 1980.

The webs have silk trip lines radiating from the entrance which function as a warning system, alerting the spiders to the presence of insect prey or a possible mate.

While these spiders are able to survive submerged for several hours by trapping air bubbles with their hair covered legs beneath their abdomens, prolonged flooding can force them to leave their burrows.