Red and Black Spider (Ambicodamus crinitus, Family: Nicodamidae)
In summer, males leave their web, during daylight hours, and wander in search of females. This wandering habit often brings them indoors. Due to the red and black colour, the spider is often confused with the red-back spider and, as red is a common warning colour, the spider is sometimes thought to be highly venomous. The egg case has a woolly appearance and is suspended in the web. Males are similar to the female in colour. The female’s body and legs are commonly bright red and the abdomen black, but the can vary from orange to dark red, sometimes with a bluish tinge. They are a small spider with slender legs, most easily recognised by colour pattern as described above. The male’s body length is around 10mm and the female’s 12mm. Their web consists of a few irregular strands built under bark, stones or logs.
Despite the red colour of this spider, its venom is not dangerous. At most, it may cause a local reaction around the bite site. Normal precautions, as outlined in the introduction, should be observed.
Museum Victoria
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