The black cobweb spider is a member of the family of comb-footed spiders. They are part of the genus of ‘false widows’, spiders which resemble the true black widows but aren’t as deadly as them.
Size: Male: 0.7 cm Female: 0.7-1 cm
Color: These spiders are black, with a small brightly-colored red, yellow, or orange patch on their abdomens.
Other Characteristic Features: There is a crescent-shaped band near the front of the abdomen.
Steatoda capensis
Similar to other false widow spiders, they lay their eggs inside a white sac. They do so year-round at regular intervals.
They disperse soon after leaving the egg sac.
Their webs are made up of cobwebs consisting of irregular tangles of sticky silken fibers.
The bite of black cobweb spiders can be pretty painful, causing general malaise for about a day. This syndrome, often referred to as steatodism, is a less severe version of the illness caused by the bite of true black widows, called latrodectism.
| Other names | False katipō Spider |
| Lifespan | 1-3 years |
| Distribution | Native: South Africa Invasive: Australia and New Zealand |
| Habitat | Sand dunes. Also are often found close to or inside buildings |
| Common Predators | Other spiders |
| Diet | Insects like crickets, cockroaches, flies, ladybirds, mosquitoes, woodlice, and spiders, including true black widows |
False katipo Spider
Image Source: upload.wikimedia.org, lh5.ggpht.com, blog.tepapa.govt.nz
The black cobweb spider is a member of the family of comb-footed spiders. They are part of the genus of ‘false widows’, spiders which resemble the true black widows but aren’t as deadly as them.
Black Cobweb Spider
Size: Male: 0.7 cm Female: 0.7-1 cm
Color: These spiders are black, with a small brightly-colored red, yellow, or orange patch on their abdomens.
Other Characteristic Features: There is a crescent-shaped band near the front of the abdomen.
Steatoda capensis
Similar to other false widow spiders, they lay their eggs inside a white sac. They do so year-round at regular intervals.
They disperse soon after leaving the egg sac.
Their webs are made up of cobwebs consisting of irregular tangles of sticky silken fibers.
The bite of black cobweb spiders can be pretty painful, causing general malaise for about a day. This syndrome, often referred to as steatodism, is a less severe version of the illness caused by the bite of true black widows, called latrodectism.
| Other names | False katipō Spider |
| Lifespan | 1-3 years |
| Distribution | Native: South Africa Invasive: Australia and New Zealand |
| Habitat | Sand dunes. Also are often found close to or inside buildings |
| Common Predators | Other spiders |
| Diet | Insects like crickets, cockroaches, flies, ladybirds, mosquitoes, woodlice, and spiders, including true black widows |
False katipo Spider
Image Source: upload.wikimedia.org, lh5.ggpht.com, blog.tepapa.govt.nz
