The redback spider has even been found in Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Belgium due to inadvertent introductions. Also known as the Australian black widow, you can find this creepy crawly throughout Australia, Southeast Asia and New Zealand. (Image credit: By Toby Hudson - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, )ĭue to its strikingly similar appearance, the redback spider ( Latrodectus hasselti) was once thought to be a sub species of the black widow spider, but it is a distinct species. The female redback spider has a long red stripe down her back. Symptoms of lactrodectism include pain, perspiration, muscle rigidity and vomiting. Although they don't deliver as much venom as a black widow, the brown widow's bite can still cause latrodectism due to its neurotoxic venom. The brown widow's venom is less toxic than that of its black cousin.

Believed to originate in South America, the brown widow spider is found all around the world. The brown widow’s marking is orange and yellow rather than red, and as their name suggests, they predominantly have tan and brown mottling and a spiky, rather than smooth, appearance. It looks similar to its infamous ' cousin' the black widow, right down to the hourglass-shaped marking on its abdomen, but there are some key differences. Latrodectus geometricus is the scientific name for the brown widow spider. (Image credit: Vinícius Souza via Alamy Stock Photo) Brazilian wandering spiderīoth the black widow and brown widow spider have the tell-tale red hourglass-shaped marking on the underneath of their abdomen. That’s not to say a black widow bite isn’t painful! Those unlucky enough to be bitten by a black widow will experience nausea, fever, sweating, restlessness, muscle cramps and labored breathing, and these symptoms may last for several days. The venom of a black widow is reported to be 15 times stronger than that of a rattlesnake, although they don’t deliver as much venom in their bite, so fatalities are rare. While both male and female black widows are venomous, only the female is dangerous to humans. The male black widow is smaller in size, brown or gray in color with small red sports and does not have the hourglass marking.

You can identify the female black widow spider by its shiny black body and distinct red hourglass-shape on the underside of the abdomen. In North America, they're commonly found in southern Canada and in the northeastern United States. In the genus Latrodectus, the black widow is one of the most venomous spiders and is found on every continent except Antarctica. (Image credit: Kimberly Hosey/Getty Images) However, it's still wise to be cautious as hobo spider bites result in swelling and redness around the area, and can have more severe effects in young children.Ī female black widow spider ( Latrodectus) hangs upside-down in her web, showing the red hourglass marking on her abdomen. So much so that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has removed them from their venomous spiders list. While hobo spiders have been known to bite if they feel threatened, there is much debate about how venomous they actually are. They are often confused with the brown recluse spider (and vice versa), but the brown recluse is much more dangerous to humans. Part of the family of spiders known as the funnel web spiders, the hobo spider ( Eratigena agrestis, formerly Tegenaria agrestis) can be recognized by it's light to medium brown coloring and the multiple chevron patterns (v-shaped) on its abdomen pointing toward their head. (Image credit: CreativeNature_nl via Getty Images) Even arachnologists have a hard time identifying hobo spiders, as there are many similar looking spiders and because there is great variation within the species itself.

Sydney funnel web spider predators