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Immature Redback Spider

Latrodectus hasselti

Description:

I was only able to get a shot of the underside of this spider. It's web was inside a hollow log. Redgack spiders build untidy, tangled webs under ledges and in garden shrubs. The webs have no obvious pattern and are usually close to the ground and in contact with it. Much of the time the females are in a retreat of dead leaves bound with silk and there are several round egg sacs nearby. Can cause death or serious illness, especially in the young and elderly -Reference

Habitat:

Coastal bushland. Redback spiders rarely become permanent residents of houses though they occasionally establish webs in open sheds. They can be found in poorly maintained lawns and in pumpkins and other broad-leafed vegetable crops. They are generally not common in eucalypt forests though in some forest areas the numbers have increased substantially in recent years. The immature spiders vary in colour and this depends at least partly on how recently they have moulted. Males are very small and are rarely noticed. -Reference

1 Species ID Suggestions

MartinL
MartinL 10 years ago
Immature redback spider
Latrodectus hasselti The Find-a-spider Guide - Redback spider


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3 Comments

LeanneGardner
LeanneGardner 10 years ago

That's great Martin. Thank you! I didn't even know they were variable. When I look at the shape & the web was a typical Redback type too. Thank you!

MartinL
MartinL 10 years ago

I think this is a female redback spider
I believe they can be variable.
The younger females have white markings along the side as yours does.
My shot of the same underside shows the same web and general shape. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/173...
This site shows some variation among females and younger ones.
http://www.findaspider.org.au/find/spide...

Eis4Xtreme
Eis4Xtreme 10 years ago

Looks like some kind of Orb Weaver

LeanneGardner
Spotted by
LeanneGardner

Mackay, Queensland, Australia

Spotted on Feb 11, 2014
Submitted on Feb 11, 2014

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