Species of the week:Noble false Widow

Species of the week:
Noble False Widow(Steatoda nobilis)

1. Although the Noble False Widow is naitive to the Canary Islands and Madeira, it has spread all over Europe.
2. It has creamy colours and often a shape similar to a skull can be seen on its adbomen. Its size ranges from 7-14mm.
3. The females are the largest with 9-14mm and the males are smaller with 7-11mm.
4. They are opportunistic eaters and will eat any invertebrate.
5. They live around 1-2 years with females living more than males.
6. They produce white, spherical eggs which hatch around 2-4 months with the number of eggs depending on food supply.
7. Their web is particularly interesting in the fact that is spreads from a refuge(usually a hole or a dark spot) and has a particularly strong silk.
8. Although they are venomous, they have mid effects on humans with it's bite effects similar to those of a bee or a wasp.
9. Only adult spiders are capable of biting humans and their bites are purely defensive.
10. The Noble false widow colives with humans and can often been found in gargabe piles, garages, sheds etc.