False widow spider??

superd1978

Folks,

Have we any spider experts in the house which could help identify this rather scary looking spider which i found perched on a web in my house last night?

First photo is when he was settled on his web, with one gold stripe across his back.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15nj8Yi67T5XedaS_wzLmZpsUbEDpmpDD

When i disturbed him to take a closer look and move to garden, once uncoiled he looked like a totally different spider :O

https://drive.google.com/open?id=12qeZ6ed_ijXggF70JUqy7JHBh-2EBs1P

Could this a false widow spider? And if so are they dangerous?

Ms Doubtfire1

uhm..could be. leave alone. leave VERY much alone.

Cherry Blossom

Moved from Animal & Pet Issues. Please note that the Nature and Birdwatching charter now applies.

Could be a false widow. The ones we find around the house have clearer markings on their abdomens so I am really not sure. They wont bother you if you don't bother them. Their bite is not dangerous, just very unpleasant (unless you're in the rare few that have a severe reaction to the bite, like some will with wasp and bee stings). They wont attack you, you really need to be bothering them (even accidentally) before they'll bite you. They are muscling out our native spiders though, for this reason I usually bid them a swift farewell if I can. They're actually far more common than people realise, and have been for a long time, there's a bit of media hysteria about them these days, but there's no need to panic.

mr.wiggle

It's a false widow alright. I'd put it out if I were you, why take a risk.