Missulena

Missulena is a genus of mygalomorph spiders in the family Actinopodidae. It was first described by Charles Walckenaer in 1805, and is a senior synonym of Eriodon. M. tussulena is found in Chile, but the rest are indigenous to Australia. They are sometimes referred to as "mouse spiders" from the now-disproven belief that they dig deep burrows similar to those of mice. Scotophaeus blackwalli is also called a "mouse spider", but it is smaller and not closely related.

==Description== These spiders are medium to large in size, ranging from . They have a glossy carapace and high, broad heads with eyes spread out across the front of the head, and short spinnerets in the rear of the abdomen. They also exhibit sexual dimorphism. Females are entirely black, while male colouration is specific to each species. For instance, male eastern mouse spiders (M. bradleyi) have a bluish patch, while male red-headed mouse spiders (M. occatoria) are brownish or blue-black with bright red-tinged jaws.