In various animal lineages, muscles are supplemented by latches and springs to store energy. When released, power is achieved nearly instantaneously exceeding what muscles alone typically produce. An example of this is the trap jaw mechanism found in arthropods in which the mouth parts are brought together in a pincer at extremely high speeds. In spiders, the best known and only well-documented such group is the trap jaw spiders of the family Mecysmaucheniidae (Palpimanoidea). However, a distantly related taxon within the orb-weaving spiders, Pararchaeinae (Malkaridae, Araneoidea), exhibits a very similar morphology and behaviors. Using micro-computed tomography and high speed videography, we characterize the strike kinematics and related morphology of Pararchaea alba. Our results show P. alba strike speeds are within the observed range of the slower mecysmaucheniid species but do not attain the power amplified speeds of the fastest strikers in that family. We speculate this intermediate speed stems from the presence of some – but not all – observed characteristics associated with high speed strikes in other such lineages, allowing versatility in their chelicerae, which are multi-purpose structures. Finally, the preservation of a specimen in the latched position allowed comparison of the muscles in that state versus the more common resting state, and we suggest an alternative mechanism for cheliceral function in these odd spiders.