The specific epithet hochstetteri honours Ferdinand von Hochstetter, who brought a specimen back to Austria from New Zealand as part of the Novara expedition.

[5] Tunnel-dwelling spiders are found throughout New Zealand in a range of habitats including the coastlines, bushlines and mountainous areas.

[2] Other closely related species of Hexathelidae are found further south, but the banded tunnelweb spider is most common in the upper north island of New Zealand.

[4] There has been one recorded sighting of the behaviours leading up to mating, although the actual mating was unsuccessful; it was observed that as the male approached the female's burrow he outstretched his front pair of legs, exposing his reproductive organs, then whilst vibrating his outstretched legs he moved toward the female.

Once leaving their mother the males only have a matter of months to find a mate before they die, but females have been known to live up to six years in captivity, being able to moult their skin and reproduce multiple times.

[5] Banded tunnelweb spiders are known to eat most types of small insects, waiting in the tunnel that they have constructed for prey to walk past the opening.

[4] From inspecting the remains found in their dwellings it has been observed that their diet consists mainly of beetles, millipedes and slaters, although they will attack and eat most arthropods.

[8] The banded tunnelweb spider is not dangerous to humans, although its bite can be painful; its venom does not affect people and will only cause some soreness and inflammation.

[2] Male banded tunnelweb spiders are sometimes found in sinks and bathtubs, as they may wander inside a home in search for a mate, fall in and become trapped.