[2][3] William Joseph Rainbow described the eastern mouse spider in 1914 from a specimen collected in North Sydney by Henry Houghton Burton Bradley (1845–1918), president of the board of trustees of the Australian Museum at the time.

[7] The male, which has an all-black carapace and a pale bluish area on top of the abdomen,[6] roams around in autumn and early winter looking for a mate.

Although it appears to be the most dangerous member of the genus, serious envenomations by this species are relatively rare.

Most bites documented in the medical literature did not require use of antivenom nor involve serious symptoms.

Severe envenomation occurred in only one case, a 19-month old child, who developed high blood pressure, muscle spasms, arched back, and unconsciousness.