Unknown Spider - False black widow?

acero31 · #1 (**permalink**) 06-11-2008, 09:26 AM

This is in my wormery, body not as red under normal light, have not been able to name it. Can anyone help.

squishy · #2 (**permalink**) 06-11-2008, 09:28 AM

yep, looks like some kind of false widow to me. i cant tell you which though.
i'm sure one of our resident spider experts will soon come along and give you a much more exact ID

Venger · #3 (**permalink**) 06-11-2008, 09:32 AM

Certainly a Steatoda species. Possibly a female S.grossa, though I'd need closer shots.
Where are you in the country?
It's not doing any harm, hope you left it alone (too much bad press for these guys)

acero31 · #4 (**permalink**) 07-11-2008, 04:23 PM

Hi, thanks very much. I live in Bournemouth, and we have had a few of them. I am keen photographer, and could have picked up one or an infant whilst on the Purbecks, or in the New Forest.
My wife found an egg sack? of them in her slipper in the conservatory, but vacumned them up .
This female can stay as she is photogenic. I found a single black one last year, but a VET assistant said it was nothing. I let that one free in the Vets Hedge.

Regards

Tony Steele

Venger · #5 (**permalink**) 07-11-2008, 07:26 PM

They can vary in colour quite a bit from purpley/brown through to black. The abdominal patterning can be very faint (almost non existent) or quite clear triangles.
Look out a pale crescent around the front of the abdomen, a key factor for ID'ing a Steatoda sp.

natureguy · #6 (**permalink**) 09-11-2008, 06:49 PM

hi venger
ive had similar ones to this in my garden with white specks on abdomen and back. are these false widows? can you please give me some more info. are they native? why are they having bad press? I found about 5 of them under a manhole cover.
btw sorry to hijack your thread acero they just looked similar to the ones i saw and wondered what they were.

Venger · #7 (**permalink**) 10-11-2008, 03:50 PM

Sorry natureguy, almost missed your post.

The term 'false widow spider' is applied to the Steatoda genus - more usually it's applied to to either S.nobilis or S.grossa - while not native they've been here for a over 100 years, usually they're found in the South of the UK (around ports and things) but they are spreading due to the warming of the country.
I'd need a photo of your spiders, though they could be Steatoda bipunctata which are a native species.

They get bad press because of the tabloid nature of our press - it's not a 'new species of spider in the uk' its a 'deadly spider enters uk'