False Widow

[groucho]

Seen an article about this spider on yesterday's breakfast show. Just gone outside the french doors and I think I have bumped into one.

What do you think?

[jmorgan]

Not sure. We have a garage full of the little buggers, we can hear them plotting......

Not sure we have identified it correctly.

[groucho]

I reckon they both are. I'd guess yours is a female.

[DJFish]

Funnily enough I was just unloading the car and spotted this in the bush:

Closer inspection reveals this fella about to tuck into his dinner:

I'm just pondering the logistics of torching the entire front yard while it sits in the hummus pot, plotting its revenge.

A bit of searching reveals that it's merely a common garden spider, I still maintain that it looks like it could bite your face off!

Edited by DJFish on Saturday 5th October 22:40

[Wigeon Incognito]

Google images of false widow bites...

[shambolic]

This is a false widow!



A few thousand of them in these egg sacs!



We were demolishing the outhouse and it was full of them!

[groucho]

Keep one eye open at nights!

[jmorgan]

And a flame thrower.

Mind you, 007 used a shoe. Can you get a shoe with a built in flame thrower?

[Pete102]

Can anyone ID this for me? I *think* its a false widow judging by the markings on it's thorax? Just caught it in my front room...

[dudleybloke]

let it bite you, if your arm falls off then its a false widow.

[Pete102]

Can anyone ID this for me? I *think* its a false widow judging by the markings on it's thorax? Just caught it in my front room...

[Pete102]

Hah, I'm not really bothered by it, the wife is freaking out!

[Civpilot]

It's not a false widow. Look at the picture above yours (the post with the egg sacks)... That is what a false widow looks like.

[digger the goat]

Pete102 said:

Can anyone ID this for me? I *think* its a false widow judging by the markings on it's thorax? Just caught it in my front room...

Crikey....
Swans feathers for a carpet !!!
Now I AM envious !!!!!

[dudleybloke]

digger the goat said:

Crikey....
Swans feathers for a carpet !!!
Now I AM envious !!!!!

i'm just a poor peasant.
my carpets made of pheasant.

[russy01]

What about this bad boy?

[Mobile Chicane]

Too pale.

[GTDNB]

russy01 said:

What about this bad boy?

yes, that's the one that's getting all the press, Steatoda nobilis. colours and patterns vary a bit but that is definitely it. most distinctive bit that false false widows(!) don't have is the pale band running around circumference of abdomen, which that does have - it's clearer in your second pic.

are you dead yet??

at least this thread actually has some genuine sightings, however the one before is a harvestman i think. doesn't appear to have separate head/thorax/abdomen so not even a spider!

Edited by GTDNB on Tuesday 29th October 19:18

[GTDNB]

top of the page is a missing sector spider, very common around doors and windows, and the second one is Steatoda grossa, one of the false widows.

[russy01]

Mmm nice. It's a pic my parents took this morning. I will tell them to keep an eye out!