Spider ID, should I be worried?

[Sami-Lochy]

Found this under the couch this morning. Think it might be pregnant. Should I be worried? Partner kept telling me it was a red back, because they come in that colour, but I'm not too sure.
Does anyone have any ideas? Thank you! Am afraid the house might be full of venomous spiders!

 

[Reptiles101]

Have u got a better pic?

 

[Sami-Lochy]

I only have an average camera phone, was one of the best photos I could get. It doesn't have any stripes on its back like a red back, it's just a dark murky coloured big back and the rest of it is orange. Not much more detail to it really.

 

[NickGeee]

Nah that's not a redback, don't worry I think it's called a red and black spider and it's not dangerous to humans
Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Reptiles101]

Brown house spider (Steatoda grossa)

Like black widows, the female S. grossa is 6-10.5 mm in length, and dark colored, with a round, bulbous abdomen. Typical coloration ranges from purplish-brown to black, with light-colored markings. Unlike black widows, redbacks, and other Latrodectus species, S. grossa does not have a bright red hourglass pattern or any other bright markings.

The bite of S. grossa is known to be medically significant in humans, but minor, without any long-lasting effects. Symptoms of bites include blistering at the site of the bite, and/or a general malaise lasting for several days.

 

[Sami-Lochy]

Thanks guys, appreciate your time. Cheers

 

[BigDaddyO]

Small adult female red and black spider. Completely harmless to humans. Very common. There are 23 different species all of which look identical No relationship to redback spider.
Mating season is feb and eggs disperse around april in NSW. Normally garden dwellers under leaf litter and vegetation. Red and Black Spider | Flickr - Photo Sharing!. They are very pretty spiders and good to have around as they keep down populations of small biting insects.

 

[Sami-Lochy]

Ide say almost for sure it's a brown house spider by looking at it, definetly not a red and black, it has a completely different size and doesn't have patterns. Found it around my furniture so it's a brown house because by reading about them that's where they like to hang. Cheers 101 thought for sure it was some strange coloured red back. -Lochy

 

[Bluetongue1]

I noticed this not long after it was posted and (amongst other things) have been having a bit of a dig for information on it. I would agree that it is a type of ‘Cupboard Spider’ - Genus Steatoda. But as to the species I am unable to find sufficient information to pin it down. There are a number of species in the genus that occur in the eastern region of northern New South Wales.

The general info from the Australian Museum on the genus is worth a read... http://australianmuseum.net.au/Cupboard-Spider

Blue

 

[tickerbox]

To me it looks like a female Red House Spider - Nesticodes Rufipes.

Reddish brown colouring of the legs, large abdomen, the types of webs you describe, the location it was found, etc.

Do an image search and check it out... here's a link.

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=...YGa2jiAfU6IDAAw&ved=0CCkQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=843

 

[GBWhite]

Hi Lochy,

You've created a very interesting thread and sparked my interest. I've done a bit of personal work on identify spiders due to an interest investigating wild reptile scats for natuarlly selected food items and when you first posted the pic (and despite it's poor quality) I was straight up positive it was a female a Black and Red Spider (Nicodamus spp)

After reading some of the posts I did a little more poking around and after referencing Ramond Mascord's Australian Spiders in colour and Mark Harvey's 1995 Major Works on the Revision of Australian Nicodamids I'm inclined to agree with DaddyO and Nickgee and am of the opinion it's a female Red and Black Spider (Nicodemus spp) formerly (Centroplema bicolour) L.Koch 1872. Apparently they are very common in Northern NSW with a body length between 10 & 12mm. They are often found under bark, logs and rocks and although they tend not to venture too far from their webs are known for entering houses. So, just because you found the spider near some furniture does not confirm it as S. grossa.

The pic link that DaddyO posted is actually a picture of a male Red and Black Spider but if you have a look at this link Nicodamus spp. Red-black Spiders it provides a pic of the female. If your interested type in Steotoda grossa in the search box on the site and compare the two for yourself. They do look a little similar but according to the description given for S grossa they are black to purple brown with a pale speckled band on the anterior edge of the abdomen. I know the pic is poor but from the redish/brown carapace and legs the spider doesn't seem to fit this description.

George.