Steatoda nobilis: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the steatoda nobilis lives – recorded in 13 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Steatoda nobilis
Group	Spiders, scorpions & other arachnids
Found in	13 countries
Continents	Europe, North America, South America
Class	Arachnid
Order	Araneida
Family	Theridiidae

Where does the steatoda nobilis live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the steatoda nobilis in 13 countries and territories across Europe, North America and South America. In Belgium, Ecuador, France, Italy it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the steatoda nobilis?

The steatoda nobilis (Steatoda nobilis) is an arachnid in the order Araneida and the family Theridiidae, genus Steatoda. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the steatoda nobilis

Steatoda nobilis is a spider in the genus Steatoda, known in the United Kingdom as the noble false widow, as it superficially resembles, and is frequently mistaken for, the black widow and other spiders in the genus Latrodectus. It is often referred to as the false widow, although "false widow" is a more general term applied to a wider group of species with this resemblance.[a] It is a moderately medically significant spider, with most bites resulting in symptoms similar to a bee or wasp sting. Some bites may cause more significant harm, partly due to pathogenic bacteria from the spiders.

S. nobilis is spotted all year round, both indoors and outdoors in a variety of habitats including cacti, roadside cuttings, and demolished buildings. The spiders prey on both invertebrates and small vertebrates using an "attack wrap" strategy where silk is wrapped around the victim.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Steatoda nobilis (revision 1381376002), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q1313475 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).