It is the most widely distributed Missulena species, occurring throughout mainland Australia (but mainly west of the Great Dividing Range).

Missulena venom may be very toxic, but few cases of serious envenomation have been recorded.

Females are approximately 35 mm long, stout, short-legged, and mostly dark brown to black (but the jaws are sometimes red-tinged).

The smaller males are approximately 15 mm long, have longer and thinner legs, and the head and jaws are bright red while the abdomen is gunmetal blue to black.

For example, H. Womersley in 1943 regarded Actinopus formosus as a synonym of M. occatoria,[3] whereas Barbara York Main in 1985 treated it as a synonym of M. insignis,[4] the position adopted by the World Spider Catalog.