HOME	Spiders introduced to NZ

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There are many introduced species of spider in New Zealand. How do you think they came into the country?

There are two poisonous spiders of note, the Australian red back (Latrodectus hasselti) and the white-tailed spider (Lampona cylindrata).

This is the poisonous white tail spider. Can you see the white tail?

The white-tailed spider is an oval shaped, grey coloured spider with a white tip to the abdomen. It is the only spider of the two that enters houses, and it is often found crawling between the folds of curtains, and household furniture.

It mainly feeds on other spiders, but if trapped in clothing, it will bite. It is not the venom that causes a problem to people it bites, but the bacteria it carries. In some cases, this bacteria can eat away the flesh, so that you need plastic surgery. You must remember that these spiders bite very few people, and only do so when they are being interfered with. They do it to protect themselves.