Megamonodontium mccluskyi was a relatively large trapdoor spider that lived in Australia about 11–16 million years ago. It did not stalk dinosaurs: non-avian dinosaurs had disappeared tens of millions of years before this Miocene spider existed. The fossil is notable for its size and rarity, and for being the first known fossil of its spider family.
What was the fossil spider?
The spider is Megamonodontium mccluskyi, a brush-footed trapdoor spider in the family Barychelidae. Researchers formally described it in 2023 from a fossil collected at McGraths Flat in New South Wales, Australia. The specimen was collected in June 2020 and is held in the Australian Museum’s palaeontology collection.
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The original study describes it as the first fossil barychelid known worldwide and the second fossil mygalomorph spider recorded from Australia. Mygalomorphs are a group that includes trapdoor spiders and tarantulas.
Did it live alongside dinosaurs?
No. The fossil is dated to approximately 11–16 million years ago, during the Miocene. Non-avian dinosaurs became extinct around 66 million years ago, so this spider lived tens of millions of years later. The dinosaur suggestion in the headline is unsupported.
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How large was it?
The original study calls M. mccluskyi the second-largest fossil spider known and estimates it was about five times the size of living spiders in the genus Monodontium. That comparison is specifically to Monodontium, not to all living spiders.
The Australian Museum describes it as the largest fossil spider found in Australia. That regional record is distinct from the study’s worldwide ranking: the slightly larger fossil Mongolarachne jurassica has a reported body length of 24.6 mm, as cited in the study. No direct body-length measurement or full leg span for M. mccluskyi is established in the published source.
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Why is this fossil important?
A rare record of its spider family
Brush-footed trapdoor spiders are not commonly preserved as fossils. The Australian Museum notes that around 300 species in this group are alive today, while this specimen is the first known fossil of Barychelidae. As Dr Robert Raven, the supervising author and a Queensland Museum arachnologist, put it: “Not only is it the largest fossilised spider to be found in Australia but it is the first fossil of the family Barychelidae that has been found worldwide.”
Fine details survived
Imaging helped researchers examine small structures that can reveal a fossil spider’s identity. Dr Michael Frese of the University of Canberra said: “Scanning electron microscopy allowed us to study minute details of the claws and setae on the spider’s pedipalps, legs and the main body.” Setae are hair-like structures; the Museum reports that the scans revealed details of claws and setae.
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What does it tell us about ancient Australia?
The study interprets the fossil and its relatives as evidence that this spider lineage occupied moist rainforest habitat in Australia. It discusses the lineage’s later replacement by other spiders in the context of continental aridification. This is a reconstruction based on fossil and ecological evidence, not a direct record of this individual’s behavior or proof that drying alone caused the lineage to disappear.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When was it found and described?
The specimen was collected in June 2020. McCurry, Frese and Raven’s paper was published online on 15 September 2023 and later appeared in the journal’s volume 200, issue 4, dated April 2024. The Australian Museum announced the find in 2023. Its fossil record is available online for researchers.
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