Web-weaving Spiders

Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti)

Female redback spiders are spherical, black, and about 12 mm in body length. They have long thin legs and have a distinctive red stripe on the back of the abdomen. The male redback is small and harmless, approx. 3-4mm in length and brown in colour. Red back spiders often build untidy webs in stacked junk and rubbish in yards or under window sills and crevices in brickwork. Redbacks are not aggressive but are capable of delivering a very serious bite that can be fatal for young children, although an anti-venom is available.

Black House Spider (Badumna and Ixeuticus species)

The female Black House Spider measures about 12-18 mm in body length, and the male is about 8-10mm long. They are commonly black in colour with grey or cream speckling on their abdomens. Black House Spiders build dense, furry, tunnel shaped webs around eaves, windows, doors and walls. If provoked these spiders can inflict a painful bite.

Orb-Weaving Spiders (Eriophora and Araneus species)

The female Orb-Weaving Spider of the common Araneus species is about 20-25 mm in body length with a lumpy abdomen, whilst the male is 5-10 mm long. The larger Eriophora species are similar in shape with a leaf shaped pattern on their back. Both species are variable in colour but the Araneus species can be brightly coloured. These spiders build large webs at twilight, commonly between trees, shrubs and clotheslines to catch flying insects. They then destroy the web in the early hours of morning. Orb spiders do bite, but are not normally aggressive.