South Africa is known for its vast biodiversity, and this extends to its spiders. These include the black or brown button spiders, which are highly venomous, or the orb weavers who weave different unique styles of webs. While there are several dangerous species of spiders, most of them avoid confrontation and flee if possible.
Common Spiders: Brown Widow Spider, Banded Garden Spider, Long-bodied Cellar Spider
Big Spider: Common Rain Spider
Dangerous Spiders: Brown Widow Spider, Brown Button Spider, Golden Blue-legged Baboon Spider
Most Venomous
Comb-footed Spiders
- Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus)
- Black Cobweb Spider (Steatoda capensis)
- East Coast Button Spider (Latrodectus cinctus)
- West Coast Button Spider (Latrodectus indistinctus)
- Karoo Button Spider (Latrodectus karooensis)
- Inland Button spider (Latrodectus renivulvatus)
- Brown Button Spider (Latrodectus geometricus)
- Phinda Button Spider (Latrodectus umbukwane)
Sicariidae
Tarantulas
- Common Baboon Spider (Harpactira gigas)
- Golden Blue-legged Baboon Spider (Harpactira pulchripes)
- Greater Horned Baboon Spider (Ceratogyrus brachycephalus)
- South African Blue Footed Trapdoor Baboon Spider (Idiothele mira)
Cheiracanthiidae
Less Venomous
Orb-weavers
- Lobed Argiope Spider (Argiope lobata)
- Banded Garden Spider (Argiope trifasciata)
- Tropical Tent-web Spider (Cyrtophora citricola)
- Long-winged Kite Spider (Gasteracantha versicolor)
- African Hermit Spider (Nephilingis cruentata)
- Hairy Golden Orb-weaver Spider (Trichonephila fenestrata)
- Banded-legged Golden Orb-weaver Spider (Trichonephila senegalensis)
- Hairy Field Spider (Neoscona rapta)
Long-jawed Orb-weavers
Jumping Spiders
Cellar Spiders
- Long-bodied Cellar Spider (Pholcus phalangioides)
Huntsman Spiders
- Common Rain Spider (Palystes superciliosus)
Nursery Web Spiders
- Fishing Spider (Nilus radiatolineatus)
Lynx Spiders
Trochanteriidae
- Scorpion Spider (Platyoides walteri)
