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Spider, red back, katipo, false katipo or?


Insect Direct

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Not katipo sorry. Introduced South African spider, I think. Also found on beaches where katipo are, but sadly are much more common.

When you see a katipo it just looks SO katipo-like that it kinda takes you aback... Hard to describe.

This is a female katipo I found on Moana Roa/Scott's Ferry beach, coastal of Bulls:

2008_09_13MoanaRoa003Medium.jpg

Try rolling logs on the beach and look for little 'nests' of web, usually with tiny sticks and sand attached. They belong to the larger females.

They do bite but very rarely, usually requires provokation. Most recorded cases were when the spider was inside an item of clothing which was then put on...

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point of thread was to identify the spider so thankyou im pretty sure you hit the nail on the head.

Done a little bit of reading/googling and maf claim no black widows in nz :roll:

Other sites say black widow is just another name for katipo and or redbacks so i dunno they all look similar to me

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now that is a nice spider Ira, good pic

do you still have it

no one has died from a katipo bite yet

our katipo is being "beaten on the beaches" by a sth african competitor

as well as council insecticide spraying :o

Nah, I didn't keep it, I hate spiders.:) I just saw it walking across my driveway and took a picture.

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Mincie your spider may be a redback - we do have them in NZ, mostly in port towns, eg Welly, Napier, Auckland, Tauranga.

Sometimes the colour is more red than the total black, and those other markings appear.

You can find a pic of a red female on wikipedia, if you scroll through the listing.

Unlike the rare and dry-loving katipo, redbacks like buildings and sheds. I once found one on a garbage sack, as I was putting it outside. :o:(

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I'm pretty sure that's Steadota the South African interloper. It is common around NZ and although usually is shiny black, it can have this reddish form - maybe it is a seasonal colour change, dunno. :roll:

If you want perfect id you can send the spider to Phil Servid at Te Papa, Welly, and he will let you know exactly what it is.

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