第 0633 號，共 1 402 號

Brown widow

Latrodectus geometricus

名字的由來： The name comes from the geometric pattern on the top of its abdomen (its rear body section).1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

蜘蛛

咬

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The brown widow is a spider in the widow family, a close cousin of the black widow. It lives in many parts of the world, often around houses and buildings. Its bite is painful but usually not dangerous.1

分布在

Originally Africa; now found across the Americas, Asia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Poland and the Middle East1

非洲

首頁

It builds untidy three-dimensional webs in dark corners, in vegetation and around buildings. It is commonly found around houses, and in tropical areas it is usually found around buildings. It also lives in crops such as avocado, citrus, cotton, maize, vineyards and pistachio.1

長度

3,5 cm (1,4 in)3

一般成體大小

最高速度

大約 0,92 km/h（0,57 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

Brown widow 的照片 — Brown widow。照片：Jesse Rorabaugh。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

Black and white geometric pattern on the top of the abdomen1
Usually a bright orange or yellowish hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen1
Body colour ranges from tan and dark brown to black, with shades of grey also possible1
Stripes on the legs1
Egg sacs are spiky, like a sandspur, and sometimes described as tufted, fluffy or spiky1

常被誤認為： The black widow is slightly larger and darker, and has a red hourglass on the underside. The brown widow is lighter, has an orange or yellow hourglass, and has a black and white pattern on top of the abdomen that the black widow does not have. In southern Africa, the brown widow's relative L. rhodesiensis, native to Zimbabwe, is also called a brown button spider.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Like all widow spiders, the brown widow has a neurotoxic venom, which attacks the nerves. It causes latrodectism, a set of very unpleasant symptoms. The effects are usually confined to the bite area and the tissue around it.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

Brown widow bites are usually not very dangerous, and are much less dangerous than black widow bites. The spider cannot deliver as much venom as a black widow, so its bites are considered minor. They are painful.1

如果牠咬人

清洗咬傷處，用冰敷袋冰敷止痛。如果很痛、疼痛擴散或傷者覺得不舒服，要就醫。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

大約跟一根迴紋針一樣長

Brown widow 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Brown widow 大約 0,92 km/h (0,57 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

In Southern California, researchers suggest the brown widow may be pushing black widows out of the area by competing and fighting for territory.1

Its egg sacs are so spiky that they are easy to tell apart from those of most other spiders.1

A female can make up to 20 egg sacs over her lifetime, with 120 to 150 eggs in each.1

Brown widows are preyed upon by wasps, including blue mud-dauber wasps and digger wasps.1

破解迷思

迷思： The brown widow is as dangerous as the black widow.

真相： Brown widow bites are usually not very dangerous and are much less dangerous than black widow bites.1

給毒液專家

學名: Latrodectus geometricus
類群: 蜘蛛
家人: Theridiidae2
排序: Araneae
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: Eggs hatch in about 20 days. Each female lays about 120 to 150 eggs per sac and can make up to 20 sacs in her lifetime.1
牠在野外的狀況: Least Concern (South African National Biodiversity Institute)1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3