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Reptiles
Karakurt — black female with a globular abdomen

Reptiles

Venomous spiders in Georgia?

In this atlas the medically significant spider is the karakurt. Argiope is not a black widow. Do not pick a spider up; if bitten, call 112.

Quick answerSpiders

In brief

What to know in the first minute

The Georgia atlas has four spider profiles. Only the karakurt (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) is High risk. The other three are Harmless in the atlas — that does not mean a bite never hurts.

  • Do not pick up or press a spider — bites usually happen on contact.
  • A yellow-and-black orb web with a white zigzag is Argiope, not a karakurt.
  • A brown spider with a band at the front of the abdomen is often the false karakurt.
  • If bitten, call 112 — do not wait for symptoms and do not cut the bite.
Spider biteEmergency help112

Georgia

Why this is not a US article

A Georgian search for black widow often means Latrodectus mactans. The World Spider Catalog treats that species as native to North America. What is confirmed here is the Mediterranean / European karakurt — L. tredecimguttatus. Older records often listed Caucasian material as a subspecies of L. mactans.

The atlas has four profiles, not Georgia's 659-spider list (Otto 2022). Named karakurt records are Tbilisi, Gori, Aspindza, and the Shiraki and Eldari plains. Other regions are not coloured unless a profile names a record. Do not treat the spider photos on this page as Georgia-field shots.

Identification

How do we tell which spider it is?

Colour is not enough. Web type, abdomen shape, and size work together. If unsure, do not pick it up — open the profile.

  1. 01

    Web

    Karakurt and false karakurt spin an irregular cobweb — often near the ground, among stones and debris. Argiope spins a large orb web, often with a white zigzag (stabilimentum).

  2. 02

    Karakurt

    The female is about 7–15 mm, glossy black, with a globular abdomen. The back often has red spots; some adults are entirely black — Seropian et al. 2024 note that the thirteen spots often fade in mature females. An American hourglass is not a required mark.

  3. 03

    False karakurt

    Steatoda paykulliana is usually brown, with a red or yellow band on the front edge of the abdomen. Harmless in the atlas, but a bite can hurt. This is not a karakurt.

  4. 04

    Argiope

    Argiope bruennichi is yellow-and-black and sits at the web centre. A. lobata is paler, with a lobed abdomen. Both are orb-weavers and Harmless in the atlas.

Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus) Eastern steppe and KartliMediterranean black widowLatrodectus tredecimguttatusorFalse black widow (Steatoda paykulliana) Kakheti, Samtskhe–Javakheti and AdjaraFalse black widowSteatoda paykulliana

What not to do

What should you not do?

A spider is not a pest to crush. Handling it raises the chance of a bite.

  • Do not pick it up or press it — not even to check.
  • Do not destroy every garden web: Argiope catches insects and is not a black widow.
  • Do not cut, suck, or burn a bite. Call 112.

Atlas

Four spiders on this site

4 profiles — for comparison, not a full arachnofauna. If the marks match a karakurt, open that page.

Karakurt profile

Myths

Common myths

Georgian internet copy often describes spiders with American names.

  • Myth: a yellow-and-black garden spider is a black widow.

    Reality: that is almost always Argiope — orb web, larger, Harmless in the atlas.

  • Myth: the American black widow (L. mactans) lives in Georgia.

    Reality: L. tredecimguttatus is what is confirmed here. L. mactans is a different species.

  • Myth: a small spider cannot be dangerous.

    Reality: a karakurt female is 7–15 mm. Size does not rule out risk.

  • Myth: every black spider is a karakurt.

    Reality: the false karakurt is also dark. The front band and the web separate them; if unsure, do not pick it up.

Related guides

Continue with related pages

Identification, range, safety, and species indexes — stay in the same topic instead of returning to the homepage.

112

Spider bite

Call 112. Do not cut or suck. Do not catch the spider.

Bite guide

FAQ

Venomous spiders — frequently asked questions

Short answers. Bite steps are on a separate guide.

The High-risk species in the atlas is the karakurt. Argiope is Harmless. A false-karakurt bite can hurt, but that is not a karakurt.

No. Argiope is an orb-weaver with a yellow-and-black or lobed abdomen. The karakurt is small, with an irregular web close to the ground.

Harmless in the atlas. A bite can hurt. Do not pick it up. For severe symptoms, call 112.

No. The map colours only named records: Tbilisi, Gori, Aspindza, Shiraki, Eldari. Massive in the Caucasus does not mean every region.

Call 112. Do not cut, suck, or catch the spider. Steps are on the spider-bite guide.

No. Handling it is what raises the chance of a bite.

Next step

From a mark to a profile

Open a species or the bite guide. First rule: do not pick it up; after a bite, 112.

SpidersAll species