Geographical location | Common name and species | Appearance | Typical habitat |
Widows | |||
Southeastern United States (Maryland, southern Ohio, and lower states) | Southern black widow L. mactans | Shiny black spider with some form of red on body | Clutter surrounding homes (eg, gardens, sheds, garages) Rarely indoors |
Western half of the United States from Canada to Mexico | Western black widow L. hesperus | ||
New Zealand (coastal areas) Australia (coastal areas) Japan (Osaka prefecture) | Australian red back L. hasselti | Shiny black body with dorsal red stripe | |
South America | L. curacaviensis | ||
Mediterranean | Black hag, black wolf L. tredecimguttatus | Smattering of 13 red dots on dorsal abdomen, no red hour glass | |
Worldwide and in United States (from South Carolina to Texas and California) | Brown widow (can bite humans, but envenomation is usually mild) L. geometricus | White stripes on a tan abdomen with orange hourglass, abdomen color can vary from cream to almost black | |
False Black Widows | |||
United States: Southeast, Pacific coast, and Colorado Canada: British Columbia Australia | False black widow S. grossa | Similar shape to widows Chocolate brown color with tan stripes or markings on abdomen Do not have red markings | Clutter surrounding homes Also indoors (in cupboards and undisturbed places) |
Europe | S. paykulliana S. grossa | ||
Recluses | |||
United States: Midwest and southern states extending westward | Brown recluse L. reclusa | Non-descript brown spiders Recluses have three pairs of eyes (six total), monochromatic abdomen and legs, and very fine hairs on legs | Mostly inside homes: attics, basements, cupboards Outdoors: in rock piles and under tree bark, not in live vegetation |
Worldwide infestations of buildings | Mediterranean recluse L. rufescens | ||
South America (Brazil, Chile, others) | Chilean recluse L. laeta L. intermedia L. gaucho | ||
Isolated reports in South Africa, Australia | |||
Phoneutria | |||
South America | Brazilian wandering spider P. nigriventer P. keyserlingi P. fera | Large, extensively-haired spider (up to 95 mm leg span) | Forage at night and may enter homes to take refuge under household items during the day. Found in urban environments in piles of clutter, vegetation, or rubbish. |
Australian Funnel Web | |||
Australia - Southeastern coastal regions (including Sydney and Brisbane) | Australian funnel web spider Atrax robustus Five species of Hadronyche | Large spider (25 mm body length), shiny black coloration on body | Moist areas such as basements |
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