I found a shiny black widow spider in NC with a very large red stripe on its back -- could it still be a common black widow or is this an introduced Australian redback spider?

Answer 1

Absolutely. The Australian Red Back is a 'cousin' if you could say to the Black Widow and while VERY rare to have even been listed as a reported danger to the public, they are in North Carolina. I am on MCAS Cherry Point and have seen these Spiders (specifically summer to fall) more places than I've seen just plain widows. I've killed many at my friends house and they were no less than obviously Australian Red Backs. The next time I find one, I no questions asked, would BAG IT and take it to your nearest Game Warden or Forest Rangers building. Why? Because it has gone un-reported that these spiders roam NC let alone this country and are gravely under-estimated as just an "odd black widow". The anti-venom is not only unavailable widely in the US but is different of an anti-venom than the American Black Widows. Spray the spider to death so you don't end up crushing the red back line and if your ever bit, quickly isolate the spider in a bag or some jar or something and take it with you to the hospital!