Categories | Cockroach | Fleas | Mice | Moths | Termites | Redback Spiders | Other Pests |
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Publish date: 29-11-2009 06:53:54 | Contact Name: Red | 728 times displayed
The Redback described here has a red stripe on its back where as the american black widow looks and pretty much is the same animal except for the red stripe on the back.
Scientific name: Lacrodectus hassetti Family: Theridiidae
Order: Aranedia
Genus: Lacrodectus
Species: hassetti
Appearance and physical characteristics
Red Backs are black with a red strip on the dorsal surface. It has long legs, a very large abdomen and a small cephalothorax. The male being 3-4mm in size is much smaller than the female which is 12-15mm. The male is very rarely seen and has lots more patterns and looks quite different.
Life cycle
The female red back can store male sperm and use it over a period of up to 2 years. The eggs sacks are hung near the back of the web, they may contain 30 to 300 eggs in each sack laying 3 to 5 sacks at one time. Eggs hatch when in cool moist conditions.
Habitat
Found all over Australia, the Red Back Spider makes its home in loose messy webs in rubbish piles, house weep holes, gardening sheds & equipment. They can also be found in unsewered toilets, commonly biting males on their genitals.
Feeding habits
Prey stumbles into sticky tensioned vertical threads armed with viscid and are then sprung up into the web which is laid out by the spider. On the last segment of the fourth leg the Red Back has little barbed spines that throw silk around their prey.
Damage & impact
Very toxic bites from females which may cause sweating, muscular weakness, paralysis, vomiting, dizziness, fainting and fevers to name a few. Antivenom is available.
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