A wishbone spider (Nemesiidae) lies in ambush along an embankment, ready to pounce on any bark crickets or moths that pass by. These mygalomorphs are basically trapdoor spiders without a door, though the entrance may be covered with a thin layer of silk. Dozens of small nemesiids (possibly in the genus Stanwellia) could be easily spotted on the soily embankments in Ku-ring-gai, each measuring about 0.5-1.5 cm in length. Wishbone spiders get their common name from the y-shaped burrows they construct. Females are thought to remain in a single burrow for their entire life while males disperse to find a suitable mate, dying after fulfilling their reproductive role. Much of their ecology remains to be described.
Note: could be a trapdoor spider in the family Idiopidae (e.g. Misgolas sp.). I didn’t entice the spider out of its burrow to see the entire body, nor am I good at IDing small mygalomorphs!
Photographed in situ [1]
