False widow
Not venomous · Steatoda grossa
HarmlessNot dangerous to people
Bites are rare and mild.
- Lives in
- 8 states
- Size
- 0.25–0.4 in
- Open US records
- 1,706
- Group
- Spider
How to identify it
- Round dark brown to purplish abdomen, no red hourglass
- Faint pale marks on the back in some
- Messy web in sheds and window frames
Size: 0.25–0.4 in (female body length). Habitat: In and around buildings, mostly along the coasts.
Also called noble false widow, cupboard spider, false black widow.
Where it lives
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
When it is out
Look-alikes
- Black Widow vs False Widow Black widow: medically significant
State by state
| State | Status | Open records | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Lives here | 1,376 | 29 |
| Washington | Lives here | 112 | 12 |
| North Carolina | Lives here | 57 | 19 |
| Oregon | Lives here | 44 | 12 |
| Georgia | Lives here | 19 | 4 |
| Virginia | Lives here | 16 | 6 |
| New Mexico | Lives here | 14 | 3 |
| Tennessee | Lives here | 12 | 5 |
| Hawaii | Rare records | 9 | 2 |
| Alaska | Rare records | 8 | 5 |
| South Carolina | Rare records | 8 | 5 |
| Alabama | Rare records | 7 | 4 |
| Texas | Rare records | 3 | 1 |
| Colorado | Rare records | 2 | 1 |
| Indiana | Rare records | 2 | 1 |
| Nevada | Rare records | 2 | 1 |
| New Jersey | Rare records | 2 | 1 |
| New York | Rare records | 2 | 2 |
| Oklahoma | Rare records | 2 | 1 |
| Arizona | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
| Connecticut | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
| Idaho | Rare records | 1 | 1 |
| Illinois | Rare records | 1 | 1 |
| Kentucky | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
| Massachusetts | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
| Michigan | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
| Montana | Rare records | 1 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | Rare records | 1 | 1 |
States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.
Questions
Where does the false widow live?
In 8 states: California, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington. Rare records also come from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut and Hawaii and other states.
Is the false widow dangerous?
Harmless. Bites are rare and mild.
How do you identify a false widow?
Round dark brown to purplish abdomen, no red hourglass. Faint pale marks on the back in some. Messy web in sheds and window frames.
When is the false widow most active?
Most open US records fall in May to August, October to November.