Spider profile

Redback Spider (Latrodectus hasselti)

Latrodectus hasselti

Database risk label: HIGH
Location: All of Australia
Database size: 3-10mm body length

Risk label: HIGH. The Redback Spider is an Australian species with bites that can cause substantial pain and sometimes broader symptoms. It is best treated as a spider to observe from a distance, not a species to touch or test. [1] [2]

The Redback Spider’s scientific name is Latrodectus hasselti. It is a member of the tangle-web spider family Theridiidae, rather than a funnel-web spider. The Australian Museum lists the female at about 1 cm body length and the smaller male at about 3–4 mm. [1] This page is about this one species, L. hasselti—not a general guide to every red-marked, black or web-building spider.

Identification: useful clues, not a reason to get close

A mature female is usually black, although it can be brownish, and commonly has a clear orange-to-red lengthwise stripe on the upper abdomen. The stripe may be broken. A red or orange hourglass-shaped mark may also be present underneath the abdomen. Juveniles can have extra white abdominal markings. [1]

Male Redbacks look different: their bodies are light brown with white markings above and a pale hourglass marking underneath; their red markings may be less obvious. [1] That difference matters because a small brown spider near a web is not reliably ruled in or out as a Redback by one colour cue.

The web can provide a helpful context clue. A Redback makes an irregular upper silk network with a closely woven retreat, from which vertical sticky threads run down to ground attachments. The Australian Museum describes this as a gum-footed web. [5] It is not a neat circular orb web.

However, appearance and web structure do not make a safe at-home diagnosis. The Australian Museum lists Grey House Spiders and Cupboard Spiders as similar species, and Redback markings vary with sex and age. [1] Keep a sensible distance and avoid placing bare hands into a web site or a dark recess merely to confirm what is there.

Australian range and habitat

Redback Spiders occur Australia-wide. They can live wherever food, a sheltered web site and conditions warm enough for breeding are available, and they are particularly common in disturbed and urban settings associated with human habitation. [1]

Around homes and gardens, the important pattern is shelter rather than a particular postcode. The Australian Museum records Redback webs in dry, protected sites including rocks, logs, shrubs, junk piles, sheds and toilets. [1] Its web guide also records them beneath flower pots and garden furniture, among grass tussocks and broad-leafed vegetables, and in sheltered parts of sheds and outdoor toilets. [5]

The upper retreat is generally positioned in a dry, shaded shelter, while the sticky catching lines extend towards more exposed ground-level areas. [5] This helps explain why an apparently ordinary stored item, outdoor seat or low garden structure should be looked over before hands go underneath it. It is a precaution around a likely web location, not an invitation to disturb or dismantle a web.

The Australian Museum says Redbacks are less common in winter months. [1] That is a useful reminder that visibility can vary through the year; a lack of recent sightings should not be used as proof that sheltered sites are clear.

Web-based behaviour and activity

The species is listed by the Australian Museum as sedentary. [1] Females remain associated with their webs, which function as both retreat and prey-capture structure. Insects are their usual prey, although the Museum notes that larger animals can become caught in the web. [1]

The vertical sticky threads are part of an active capture system. When prey contacts them, weak ground attachments can break and the tensioned lines pull upward, making escape harder. [5] For people, the practical consequence is simple: contact risk is greatest when a hand, foot or other body part enters the web’s sheltered zone. That is why visual checks and avoiding blind reach-ins matter more than trying to watch the spider’s movements.

Males do not make a web of their own. The Museum notes that they may occur at the edge of a female’s web, especially during the summer mating season. [1] A web site can therefore contain a different-looking small spider as well as the better-known adult female.

Safer encounters around Australian homes

The safest response to a visible or suspected Redback is to leave it undisturbed and keep people and pets away from the site. Healthdirect advises leaving spiders alone and teaching children not to touch them. [2] Queensland’s Poisons Information Centre also recommends checking outdoor furniture, toys and cots for spiders, particularly in warmer months, and wearing suitable footwear. [4]

Use these practical, low-contact habits:

Before using outdoor furniture, children’s equipment or stored garden items, look over sheltered undersides and recesses rather than reaching in unseen. [4] [5]
Keep play and pet access away from a web site until the area can be made safe without direct contact; never ask a child to investigate a spider. [2] [4]
Reduce places where spiders can establish close to regular activity by keeping outdoor areas orderly. Queensland Health includes mowing lawns and clearing rubbish among bite-prevention measures. [4]
If a web at home creates an ongoing safety concern, use appropriate professional help rather than attempting to handle, capture or relocate the spider yourself. Queensland Health specifically lists professional removal as an option for nests. [4]

These habits reduce surprise contact. They are not a guarantee that every Australian spider can be identified or that an unseen bite can be safely judged from skin marks alone.

Suspected bite: medical response

A Redback bite can cause local pain that builds over minutes to hours and may last for days. Perth Children’s Hospital says localised sweating, tingling, weakness or muscle spasms can occur; nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other systemic features may also occur in some cases. [3] Healthdirect likewise lists pain at the bite site, sweating, headache, and muscle weakness or spasms. [2]

For any possible Redback, funnel-web or snake bite, call 000 and follow the dispatcher’s advice without waiting to identify the animal. If the spider is unknown, do not decide first aid from a guess: Queensland Health says bites by big black spiders may need to be treated as funnel-web bites because the difference can be difficult to tell. [4]

For a Redback bite specifically, official health sources advise cleaning the site and using a cold pack or cold compress for pain relief. [2] [3] They also make an important distinction: a pressure-immobilisation bandage is not recommended for a Redback bite and may increase pain. [3] Do not apply a technique intended for another animal on the basis of a visual guess; follow the emergency call-taker’s instructions.

Very severe pain warrants emergency-department assessment, according to Healthdirect. [2] The Queensland Poisons Information Centre is available Australia-wide on 13 11 26 for 24-hour poison advice. [4] Antivenom is a clinical decision: Perth Children’s Hospital says it should be considered only for persistent pain or distress after adequate analgesia and following consultation with an emergency clinician or clinical toxicologist. [3]

Frequently asked questions

Is every black spider with red on it a Redback?

No. The adult female Redback often has the familiar red-to-orange dorsal stripe, but markings can be broken and males and juveniles look different. The Australian Museum also names Grey House Spiders and Cupboard Spiders as similar species. [1] Treat a suspected Redback site cautiously rather than relying on one colour feature.

Are Redback Spiders found throughout Australia?

Yes. The Australian Museum records the species Australia-wide, with a strong association with disturbed and urban environments near human habitation. [1]

Where should I be especially alert for a Redback web?

Look before reaching into dry, sheltered, low spaces around structures and garden items. Documented locations include sheds, outdoor toilets, logs, rocks, shrubs, junk piles, under flower pots and garden furniture. [1] [5]

Are Redback bites life-threatening?

Redback envenomation can be very painful and can cause symptoms beyond the bite site. Perth Children’s Hospital describes it as non-life-threatening, while Queensland Health notes that more severe symptoms can require emergency care. [3] [4] Never use that general information to delay an urgent call for a suspected venomous bite: call 000 and follow official advice.

Should I put a pressure bandage on a suspected Redback bite?

No. Perth Children’s Hospital states that pressure immobilisation is not recommended for Redback bites and may worsen pain. [3] If the animal is uncertain, especially if it could be a funnel-web or snake, call 000 immediately and follow the official instructions provided.

References

Last reviewed: 21 October 2026. This is general information, not a substitute for medical care.