Like several spiders belonging to the genus Steatoda, the False Black Widow spider, too, is often mistaken for the rather deadly Black Widow Spider. This species is known in many a name like ‘cupboard spider’, the ‘dark comb-footed spider’, as well as the ‘brown house spider’ in Australia. In some parts within their range, they are considered as pests.
Size: Females are typically larger than the males, measuring up to 15 mm, while the males usually do not exceed 10 mm.
Color: The entire body is purplish brown to black with pale markings in both the sexes.
Other Characteristic Features: While the females have round, bulbous abdomens, the males are rather thinner and more elongated, without a belly. They also bear fangs on their chelicerae (mouth part). They do not jump, but rather, build their own web and wait patiently for their prey to fall a trap in it.
A healthy, adult female is capable of laying around three or even more egg sacs every year. A sac can contain anything between 40 and 100 eggs. The mother spider keeps guarding its eggs for many hours, or even several days at a stretch until they begin changing color and the time for them to hatch nears. The eggs hatch out in around a month from the time they are laid.
Unlike the true black widow spiders, the baby false black widows have a dark coloration similar to their mothers when they emerge from the eggs. The mother guards the young ones until they are matured enough to separate.
Despite their resemblance to the infamous black widow spider, this species has a rather harmless bite. They are not at all deadly, as they are mistaken to be. The fact is, these spiders do carry venom, but it is not particularly potent to humans, but are used only to capture their prey. Even if it bites a person, the only symptom that shows up is mild pain at the site that might radiate slightly in the surrounding areas, usually lasting for one to twelve hours. The bite is no worse than the sting of a wasp.
| Lifespan | While the females can live for up to 6 years, the males can live for 1.5; however, they mostly die shortly after mating |
| Distribution | North America, Australasia, and Europe |
| Habitat | Cosmopolitan areas around or close to human habitats |
| Common predators | Large lizards, invertebrates including spiders of other species, and birds of prey, depending on their range |
| Diet | Insects, mostly the flying ones that usually get trapped in their cobweb |
Image Credits: Animalcorner.co.uk, Haslemereherald.com, Falsewidowspider.org.uk, Nhm.ac.uk, lh5.ggpht.com, Bugguide.net,
Cdn-03.independent.ie, I.pinimg.com
Like several spiders belonging to the genus Steatoda, the False Black Widow spider, too, is often mistaken for the rather deadly Black Widow Spider. This species is known in many a name like ‘cupboard spider’, the ‘dark comb-footed spider’, as well as the ‘brown house spider’ in Australia. In some parts within their range, they are considered as pests.
Size: Females are typically larger than the males, measuring up to 15 mm, while the males usually do not exceed 10 mm.
Color: The entire body is purplish brown to black with pale markings in both the sexes.
Other Characteristic Features: While the females have round, bulbous abdomens, the males are rather thinner and more elongated, without a belly. They also bear fangs on their chelicerae (mouth part). They do not jump, but rather, build their own web and wait patiently for their prey to fall a trap in it.
A healthy, adult female is capable of laying around three or even more egg sacs every year. A sac can contain anything between 40 and 100 eggs. The mother spider keeps guarding its eggs for many hours, or even several days at a stretch until they begin changing color and the time for them to hatch nears. The eggs hatch out in around a month from the time they are laid.
Unlike the true black widow spiders, the baby false black widows have a dark coloration similar to their mothers when they emerge from the eggs. The mother guards the young ones until they are matured enough to separate.
Despite their resemblance to the infamous black widow spider, this species has a rather harmless bite. They are not at all deadly, as they are mistaken to be. The fact is, these spiders do carry venom, but it is not particularly potent to humans, but are used only to capture their prey. Even if it bites a person, the only symptom that shows up is mild pain at the site that might radiate slightly in the surrounding areas, usually lasting for one to twelve hours. The bite is no worse than the sting of a wasp.
| Lifespan | While the females can live for up to 6 years, the males can live for 1.5; however, they mostly die shortly after mating |
| Distribution | North America, Australasia, and Europe |
| Habitat | Cosmopolitan areas around or close to human habitats |
| Common predators | Large lizards, invertebrates including spiders of other species, and birds of prey, depending on their range |
| Diet | Insects, mostly the flying ones that usually get trapped in their cobweb |
Image Credits: Animalcorner.co.uk, Haslemereherald.com, Falsewidowspider.org.uk, Nhm.ac.uk, lh5.ggpht.com, Bugguide.net,
Cdn-03.independent.ie, I.pinimg.com
Roy Williams on March 24, 2019.
Dr. Watuwa James
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