Skip to main content
Close

Redback Spider

(Latrodectus hasselti

Photo by Steve A
Published on Project Noah
Zoom
NominateNominate for Wildlife Photograph of the Month
reportFlag Spotting

-34.8341, 150.54

Field Notes

Description:

Very similar to the American Black Widow Spider, don't you think?

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (9)

Steve, I understand that the adult red back spider (our common name for the black widow) has a perfectly straight stripe. The juvenile has an erratic shaped stripe as this one does. I suspect it is a young one. I also expect that an adult will have a fully spherical abdomen and this one hasn't filled out yet. The American black widow is the same species as ours but have an "hourglass" shape red marking. The link shows an american one eating her much smaller male. http://www.physorg.com/news63467462.html
Simply spectacular..!!
Steve, that's about to be a victim, The male has almost the same color as her.
Gina, do you think that little spider above the redback is the male, or just incidental?
The Australian widow is one of the most deadly widow spider. Widow spiders are named after the female's habit of eating the male after mating . Only female widow spider are dangerous to people, the much smaller male's fangs are too tiny to penetrate human skin.
Photographed
PublishedJuly 6, 2011

Accelerate our Mission to Photograph 
Every Species in the World!

Image
Butterflies icon

Wildlife Community

Wildlife Community

Join a worldwide community passionate about wildlife and nature!

Join Project Noah

Nature School

Nature School

Transform your green space into a curiosity-creating nature classroom!

Visit Nature School

Wildlife Game

Wildlife Game

Defend wildlife throughout the jungle in thrilling nature game!

Play Baboon