Image: Redback Spider, Latrodectus hasselti

Redback Spider, Lactodectus hasselti

Redback spider enquiries are very common in Search and Discover

Photographer:

Mike Gray

Rights:

© Australian Museum

Common name:

Redback Spider

Scientific name:

Lactodectus hasselti

Family:

Theridiidae

Additional information

Web2spider Identification Guide: W31 - tangle web

• The retreat of the Redback Spider may be of thickly tangled silk and often contains egg sacs.

• The long lines are the catching points - crawling animals get stuck in the sticky droplets that are near the end of the long lines.

• These lines have a weak point just above the substrate so the line breaks and the elasticity takes the prey toward the spider.

• Small prey such as ants can be captured with a single line, while larger prey such as lizards get caught when they come in contact with many lines.

Last Updated: 14 November 2010

Tags Web2spider, spiders, webs, Bugwise, Identification Guide,