Bug Identifier
False widow spider (likely noble false widow)
Community identification

False widow spider (likely noble false widow)

Steatoda nobilis

Order & Family
Araneae; Theridiidae
Size
Females typically 9–14 mm in body length; males are smaller, about 7–10 mm. Legs make the overall span substantially larger.
See this bug in the Encyclopedia

Natural Habitat

Buildings, gardens, walls, sheds, and other sheltered, warm locations, especially in temperate regions where introduced.

Diet & Feeding

A web-based predator that captures flies, beetles, woodlice, and other small arthropods, immobilizing them with venom and silk.

Behavior Patterns

Mostly nocturnal and sedentary, living in tangled cobwebs; it retreats when disturbed and may bite defensively if trapped against skin. Females produce silk egg sacs and can live for several years.

Risks & Benefits

Its bite is uncommon and usually causes localized pain, redness, and swelling, though stronger reactions are possible. It is beneficial as a predator of household and garden insects; this identification is provisional because the image lacks fine diagnostic detail.