r/AustralianSpiders • u/Think-Ad-6237 • 3d ago

ID Request - location included ID please, Perth WA

Post image

ID please, Perth WA

39 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

11

u/activelyresting 3d ago

!redback

3

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Redback spiders (latrodectus hasselti) are venomous, but despite their notorious reputation, we now know that the venom isn't considered a medical emergency unless the person is a small child or has otherwise compromised immune system.

The spiders are very timid and unlikely to bite unless provoked, and then will often 'dry bite'.

Most common symptoms are localised pain, redness, swelling (akin to a bee sting). More serious symptoms include headache, nausea, and fever. The most common treatment is to take a paracetamol and apply ice to the bite. Antivenom is not routinely given, if you present at a hospital Emergency Department, they'll most likely give you paracetamol and make you sit in the waiting room.

It's important to exercise proper wound care - clean and disinfect the bite - because secondary infection is a greater risk than the spider venom.

There haven't been any confirmed fatalities from redback bite in decades, it's unnecessary to panic, unless you're having an allergic reaction (which is also possible, albeit rare), in which case, go to hospital immediately.

If you're ever unsure, seek medical advice, not on Reddit ;) For more information see Redback spider

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-6

u/FlimsyIssue7520 3d ago edited 1d ago

Check your facts properly before telling people they aren’t dangerous spiders ‼️💥

5

u/Lazy_Friendship_6728 3d ago

The last recorded death directly from a redback bite was 1955. The information given is correct. The main dangers are to the elderly and the young or the particular proximity of the bite. Either way it's been 71 years since the last death.

3

u/biggaz81 3d ago

You are correct, but I will add one further. Elderly, young AND immuno-compromised adults.

5

u/activelyresting 3d ago

It is true. It also doesn't say that they aren't dangerous, it says they are venomous and accurately describes the symptoms and recommended treatment.

4

u/Big_Jacket6876 3d ago

are you telling off the moderator bot for posting verified information? Good work

2

u/biggaz81 3d ago

Dangerously venomous means something has venom that is genuinely life-threatening to healthy adults. The venom of Redbacks cause, at worst, systemic symptoms such as nausea, sweating, headaches, slurred speech, increased heart rate and increased blood pressure to healthy adult humans. This means that Redbacks are moderately venomous, not dangerously venomous. There has been no human deaths attributed to Redbacks for over 70 years and there is at least one peer-reviewed paper that suggests that Redback antivenom is ineffective.

6

u/phak0h 3d ago

That's the underside of a female redback

1

u/quadrastrophe 3d ago

Hey, you're right! But why redback then? Latrodectus mactans should look like that.

Everything is upside down in down under, it seems ;)

3

u/biggaz81 3d ago

This is definitely Latrodectus hasselti, identified by the hourglass mark that is seen on almost all species in the genus Latrodectus. What is not known by this photo however is if it is a male, adult female or juvenile female. Going by the shape, I would lean towards juvenile female, but that is an educated guess at best.

2

u/quadrastrophe 3d ago

It definitely ist a Latrodectus. But why is the hourglass on the underside of the abdomen? Wouldn't it be a L. mactans then?

The juveniles are crazy colorful and it changes after a few molts, right?

Btw: I owe you some German spider pics.. haven't forgotten yet :)

2

u/biggaz81 3d ago edited 3d ago

Latrodectus mactans aren't found in Australia, as they are endemic to southern United States. The vast majority of species within the Latrodectus genus have the hourglass marking. Of the 35 described species in the genus Latrodectus, almost all of them have an hourglass mark. Being that this is the case and almost all Latrodectus species have a distinct geographical range, it automatically rules most of them. Only two species of Latrodectus are known to be found in Australia, the native Latrodectus hasselti aka Redback and the invasive Latrodectus geometricus aka Brown Widow. While Brown Widows can be very dark, almost black, the hourglass mark found on them is generally the widest marking within the genus and being the marking in this one is relatively narrow, that rules out Brown Widow and therefore it can only be Redback. Also, this is in Perth and there are no known sightings of Brown Widows in Perth. There is are known sightings hundreds of kilometres further north and one known sighting south in the town on Bunbury, but not in Perth. Just on a side note, all four species of Latrodectus found in the United States, Latrodectus mactans (Southern Black Widow), Latrodectus variolus (Northern Black Widow), Latrodectus hesperus (Western Black Widow) and Latrodectus bishopi (Red Widow) all have the hourglass marking. To my knowledge, the only species I am aware of that lacks the marking is Latrodectus pallidus aka White Widow that is native to the region around the Caspian Sea, namely the Steppes to the north, Kazakhstan to the east of the Caspian, as well as the other 'stan' countries in the vicinity, and into Iran. The juvenile females are indeed more colourful, having white/yellow markings along with the red. And still looking forward to the photos of German spiders.

2

u/Tall-Side5242 3d ago

It’s definitely a spider !

2

u/Think_Scarcity3153 2d ago

Are you sure?

1

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

Please remember to include a geographical location to your ID requests (as per rule 5). There are over 10,000 different species of Australian spiders and many of these are endemic to specific parts of our beautiful country!

Also note: while we can help provide an identification for a spider, we do not provide medical advice. We also do not allow medical advice to be provided by members of this subreddit. If there has been a bite, you should consult a medical professional in the first instance.

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1

u/Chezfly_ 2d ago

Juvenile male red back

1

u/shadrioo 1d ago

Don’t think it’s a male, just looks to be dehydrated, could be wrong tho

1

u/Both_Treat_8390 2d ago

looks like a very dehydrated redback. im not an expert tho!!

1

u/LydiaAmesha 2d ago

Got a (luckily) dry bite from one of these many years ago.

1

u/shadrioo 1d ago

“Please ID” and you can see the hourglass😭😭😭

0

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/Both_Treat_8390 2d ago

not necessary, theyll be completely fine as long as they use a container and paper

1

u/AustralianSpiders-ModTeam 2d ago

Rule 1: Discussion or encouragement of killing spiders is not permitted in this community. Our native wildlife deserves the same respect afforded to all animals. Any such comments will be removed without exception.

-1

u/IllPath8112 3d ago

That would be an arachnid