Latrodectus rhodesiensis
| Latrodectus rhodesiensis | |
|---|---|
| Female from Zimbabwe | |
| Male from South Africa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Latrodectus |
| Species: | L. rhodesiensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Latrodectus rhodesiensis Mackay, 1972[1]
| |
Latrodectus rhodesiensis is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae, found in southern Africa.[2] It is one of six species of Latrodectus found in southern Africa, two of which, including L. rhodesiensis, are known as brown button or brown widow spiders.
Distribution
Latrodectus rhodesiensis is found in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species has been recorded from the provinces Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Western Cape. Notable locations include Roodeplaatdam Nature Reserve and Stellenbosch.[3]
Habitat and ecology
This species lives in a web constructed low in vegetation similar to Latrodectus geometricus. The egg sac of L. rhodesiensis differs from that of other African species. It is smooth, spherical, and dirty white in colour, pure white when first constructed. The smooth egg sac consists of an inner pear-shaped thin-walled sac approximately half the diameter of the complete structure, surrounded by a layer of fluffy threads.[3]
Latrodectus rhodesiensis inhabits areas at altitudes from 982 to 1651 m above sea level. The species has been sampled from the Grassland and Savanna biomes.[3]
Venom
Like all Latrodectus species, L. rhodesiensis has a neurotoxic venom. It acts on nerve endings, causing the very unpleasant symptoms of latrodectism when humans are bitten, although brown button spiders are not generally as venomous as black button or black widow spiders, such as L. indistinctus.[4]
Description
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egg sacs
-
male
Conservation
Latrodectus rhodesiensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in Roodeplaatdam Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was revised by Lotz in 1994.[5]
References
- ^ Mackay, I.R. (1973). "A new species of widow spider (genus Latrodectus) from southern Africa (Araneae: Theridiidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 79 (3): 236–242. doi:10.1155/1972/51723.
- ^ a b c "Latrodectus rhodesiensis Mackay, 1973". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 47. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Müller, G.J.; Wium, C.A.; Marks, C.J.; du Plessis, C.E.; Veale, D.J.H. (19 September 2012), "Spider bite in southern Africa: diagnosis and management", Continuing Medical Education, retrieved 2016-02-03
- ^ Lotz, L.N. (1994). "Revision of the genus Latrodectus (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Africa". Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein. 10: 1–60.