False black widow
Steatoda paykulliana
A cobweb spider with a globular abdomen, often mistaken for a true widow. It is confirmed in Georgia; a bite can be painful, but this is not the karakurt.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Diet
Insects in a cobweb
Status in Georgia
Confirmed
Size
Female 8–13 mm
Habitat
Dry grass / crevices
Family
Theridiidae
Risk to people
Painful bite; not the karakurt
Human interaction: The spider has venom for prey. Maretić, Levi and Levi 1964 reported that the venom of this species is toxic to mammals. Bites to people are usually rare unless the spider is pressed or handled. Bites by the genus Steatoda are called steatodism in the literature: local pain is almost always present; systemic symptoms (nausea, headache, malaise) are less frequent and milder than latrodectism from a true widow (Isbister and Gray 2003 — Australian Steatoda, not a separate Georgian series). This is not a karakurt (Latrodectus) bite and not a Levantine viper bite. An allergic reaction is possible after any bite; if the face, breathing, or general condition worsens, call 112. Do not pick it up. The web may be in dry grass, under a stone, or in a building crack; destroy it only if it blocks a path — the spider is not a pest.
Overview
What is False black widow
The false black widow (Steatoda paykulliana) is a cobweb-weaving spider in the family Theridiidae. The accepted name is Steatoda paykulliana (Walckenaer, 1806). The World Spider Catalog treats the species as accepted. Theridion paykullianum of 1805 is a nomen nudum; the valid description is 1806. It was historically listed as Lithyphantes paykullianus; Steatoda latrodectoides was synonymized with this species by Breitling et al. 2016. In Georgian the names are ცრუ ყარაყურთი and ცრუ შავი ქვრივი — both because it resembles the true karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) but belongs to a different genus. Nentwig et al. give female body length as 8.0–13.0 mm and male as 4.5–8.4 mm. Otto 2022 lists the species for Georgia. That is a country-level confirmation, not even density in all twelve regions. It has venom for prey; a bite to a person can be painful, but this is not a karakurt bite. IUCN has not assessed the species. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List; the arachnid on that list is the fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius).
Last updated
Gallery
False black widow in photos
Photo: Bernard DUPONT
Dobres, Cantabria, Spain ·
Photo: 0959kedi
İzmir, Turkey ·
Photo: 0959kedi
İzmir, Turkey ·
Photo: DinaKuzia
Rosh HaNikra, Israel ·
Identification
How to identify False black widow
A small cobweb spider with a globular dark abdomen and a red or yellow band on the front edge. The female is larger than the male. This is not a karakurt.
- 01
At species level the female body is 8.0–13.0 mm (Nentwig et al.); the male is 4.5–8.4 mm. Legs are not included. There is no separate Georgian measurement series on this page.
- 02
The female carapace (prosoma) is dark purplish brown to black. The abdomen (opisthosoma) is black, with a red or yellow band around the front, sometimes with a median series of chevrons. That is the main field mark against a true widow: the band is on the front of the back, not an hourglass on the underside. The legs are brown. The male has a whitish front band and a strongly dentate median longitudinal band.
- 03
The web is irregular, often under a stone, in a crevice, or close to the ground. There is no orb web and no stabilimentum — those belong to Argiope, not this species.
- 04
In Georgia the true lookalike is the karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) — this atlas has a separate profile for it. The female karakurt is often larger and may have red spots or a different pattern; field separation is not always easy. If you are unsure, do not pick it up. Otto’s Georgia checklist also names other Steatoda (for example S. grossa, S. triangulosa, S. albomaculata) — they lack this anterior red band or have a different pattern.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
At species level Nentwig et al. give habitat as dry or semi-dry places — dry grassland, dunes, heath, calcareous hills and quarries, and rock crevices; rarely fallow orchards and meadows. That is not a measured Georgian elevation belt. This atlas colours regions only from named records. Three specimens in the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), identified by Krammer, are labelled Sighnaghi (Kakheti; ZFMK-Ar-21375), 0.65 km east of Kodiani on the pipeline road between Sakire and Tsikhisjvari (Samtskhe–Javakheti; 1,850 m; ZFMK-Ar-20728), and Kveda Chkhutuneti (Adjara; ZFMK-Ar-21512). Those records have no date. Otto 2022 lists the species for Georgia; Otto 2015 counted 72 Caucasian records (Russia / Georgia / Azerbaijan; Armenia was then absent). That is a Caucasus-level frequency, not a Georgian population map. Other regions are not coloured on this page. GBIF also holds citizen observations elsewhere; this atlas does not colour regions from those points. The photographs on this page were not taken in Georgia.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. At species level it takes insects in an irregular cobweb — often under a stone, in a crevice, or near the ground, not in a large orb web. Prey is wrapped in silk and then bitten. That is a general trophic niche, not a measured Georgian menu.
Behavior
The web is irregular. Look under stones, in rock crevices, in dry grass, and in building cracks — not in an orb web spun across open grass. Nentwig et al. note that females may be found through the year; a female with an egg sac is recorded in March at species level. That is European phenology, not a measured Georgian calendar. A full national calendar is not on this page. The male is smaller than the female. Do not pick it up — handling is what makes a bite more likely.
Conservation
IUCN has not assessed the species. It is not on Resolution No. 190 of 2014 — the arachnid on Georgia’s official Red List is the fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius, VU). Otto 2015 called Caucasian records “very abundant” (72 records across the Russian North Caucasus, Georgia, and Azerbaijan together); that is not a Georgian population trend. Zarikian 2022 lists the species in Armenia — a neighbouring country, not a Georgian range. Do not collect wild spiders.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about False black widow.
Yes. Otto 2022 lists the species on the Georgia checklist. That is a country-level confirmation.
Named museum records are Sighnaghi (Kakheti), Kodiani between Sakire and Tsikhisjvari (Samtskhe–Javakheti, 1,850 m), and Kveda Chkhutuneti (Adjara). Look in dry grass, under stones, and in crevices. Other regions are not coloured on this page.
The female of this species has a red or yellow band on the front edge of the abdomen. The karakurt (Latrodectus) is a different genus; it often has red spots and a different underside pattern. Confusion in the field is easy. Do not pick it up.
At species level the female is about 8–13 mm, the male about 4.5–8 mm. Legs are not included. There is no Georgian series on this page.
It has venom for prey. A bite can be painful; at genus level systemic symptoms are less common than with a true widow. This is not a karakurt bite. Do not pick it up. If symptoms are serious, call 112.
At species level females may be found at different times of year; an egg sac is noted in March in the European dataset. A full Georgian calendar is not on this page.
IUCN has not assessed it. It is not on the 2014 Red List.
- World Spider Catalog — Steatoda paykulliana (Walckenaer, 1806)
- Nentwig et al. 2026 — Spiders of Europe, Steatoda paykulliana
- Otto 2022 — Caucasian Spiders (database version 02.2022)
- Otto 2022 — Georgia country checklist
- Otto 2015 — Commented checklist of Caucasian spiders
- Mcheidze 2014 — Georgian Spiders (Otto ed.)
- ZFMK — Steatoda paykulliana, Sighnaghi (ZFMK-Ar-21375)
- ZFMK — Steatoda paykulliana, Kodiani (ZFMK-Ar-20728)
- ZFMK — Steatoda paykulliana, Kveda Chkhutuneti (ZFMK-Ar-21512)
- Maretić, Levi & Levi 1964 — Steatoda paykulliana, poisonous to mammals
- Isbister & Gray 2003 — Steatoda bites in Australia (genus-level)
- Zarikian 2022 — new Theridiidae records from Armenia
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- Wikimedia Commons — female, Cantabria (Bernard DUPONT, CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — female, İzmir (0959kedi, CC BY 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — male, İzmir (0959kedi, CC BY 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — female with egg sacs, Rosh HaNikra (DinaKuzia, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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