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Female katipō

The katipō (Latrodectus katipo) is a species of cobweb spider found only in New Zealand. It inhabits sand dunes close to the seashore and is found on most of New Zealand's coastline, except for the far south and the West Coast. In the South Island and the lower half of the North Island, the female has a distinct red stripe bordered in white running down its abdomen (example pictured); in more northern populations, this stripe is absent or paler. It is most closely related to the Australian redback spider. Like the redback, the katipō is venomous to humans, with its bite being capable of producing the toxic syndrome latrodectism. Bites are very rare and antivenom is available in some hospitals. It mainly feeds on ground-dwelling insects which it catches with an irregular tangled web spun among dune plants. Due to habitat loss, colonisation of their natural habitat by invasive spiders and hybridisation with the redback spider, the katipō population is regarded as declining. (Full article...)