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Project Noah Nature School
Latrodectus hasselti
This female redback shows a prominent red stripe on the back (pic 1) and some red on the underside (pic 2). Spotted at night, it had descended to the centre of its web which was a tangle of silk stretching from its retreat in a crack between the bricks and the paved ground below. The flash from the camera made it dart back up the web, where I could see discarded remnants of insects.
Spotted outside a building.
Female redbacks are larger than males which are about 4 mm and they take 4 months to mature.
Redbacks are venomous but there has been no fatalities since the '50s when an antivenin was made available. Redbacks are found in dry sheltered spots around buildings.
Family: Theridiidae
Spotted on Mar 14, 2017
Submitted on Mar 16, 2017
1 Comment
Good adult strong colours too.