[1] In New Zealand, the common name "tunnelweb spider" is also often used to refer to members of the genus Hexathele.

Neither should be confused with their distant relatives, the highly venomous Australian funnel-web spiders (family Atracidae).

The abdomen is a uniform purple black colour and may have faint chevron patterns, more noticeable in juveniles.

In the same year, Mygale quoyi was described by Hippolyte Lucas, named after the collector of the specimen used for description.

The creation of this genus was done on the basis that Mygale (Ctenzia) hexops was described as having only six eyes, which is unique among other specimens of Mygalomorphae in the area.

[15] In 1901, Henry Hogg provided another description of Porrhothele, and distinguished it from Macrothele on the basis of the lack of spines on the tarsi and much stouter front legs.

[7] P. simoni was originally distinguished by the colour of the thorax, space in between fore median eyes and curvature of the fovea.

[16] Davies argued that space between eyes can vary with age and that thorax colour is very variable, so the only distinguishing feature to consider is the curvature of the fovea, which would put the validity of this species into question.

[2][1] As with most spiders, accurate species-level identification requires examination of the mature genitalic structures (the epigyne in females, and the palpal bulb in males).

In the North Island, it appears to be excluded from the Northland region (where Porrhothele quadrigyna is known to be distributed).

During the first instar period, the spiders are inactive and lay on their backs stretching their limbs, then moulting after five weeks.

The remains of the captured prey end up spread throughout the web, so it can be easy to identify what the spider has been feeding on.

[20] One of the most unusual prey species of P. antipodiana is the snail Cornu aspersum (which is exotic to New Zealand).

This is quite a difficult prey for most spiders to catch since they have a hard shell they can retreat into and slime that can be produced.

While attached, the snail begins to produce abundant amounts of foam in an attempt to deter the spider.

[21] Another notable prey item is the wasp Vespula germanica, another exotic species in New Zealand.

The aggressive behaviour of this species could be expected to make it difficult for a P. antipodiana to safely capture.

Individuals infected with the parasite seem to become attracted to water, which inevitably causes them to drown, allowing the A. giganteus to complete the aquatic stage of its life cycle.

In its regular habitat, Porrhothele antipodiana is likely to be encountered by mice and other introduced mammals, and could be potential prey.

The mice would then attack with "a series of quick, darting rushes, nipping at the outstretched legs of the spider".

However, in some encounters, the spiders would catch hold of the mouse and bite it, causing it to lose orientation, shiver and ultimately die.

Since these spiders may occupy gardens, an encounter with an unaware human may occur and a bite may happen, although this is rare.

[26] This spider was described by director Peter Jackson as the inspiration for his depiction of Shelob in his The Lord of the Rings film adaptation.