Latrodectus rhodesiensis

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Latrodectus rhodesiensis
Latrodectus rhodesiensis 120963584.jpg
Female from Zimbabwe
Latrodectus rhodesiensis 310129642 559695749.jpg
Male from South Africa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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.

Contents

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

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

  1. ↑ Mackay, I.R. (1973). "A new species of widow spider (genus Latrodectus) from southern Africa (Araneae: Theridiidae)". Psyche, Cambridge. 79 (3): 236–242. doi:10.1155/1972/51723.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  2. 1 2 "Latrodectus rhodesiensis Mackay, 1973". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 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. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ 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
  5. ↑ Lotz, L.N. (1994). "Revision of the genus Latrodectus (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Africa". Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein. 10: 1–60.
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