Fun Steatoda Grossa Facts For Kids

The Steatoda grossa is a member of the Steatoda genus, belonging to the family Theridiidae. There are 120 Steatoda species that exist. Steatoda grossa is also known as a false widow, cupboard spider, or dark comb-footed spider.

Steatoda grossa has a pale pattern on its abdomen. Their bite is not really considered harmful. Their habitat consists of buildings, trees, rocks, and so on. Usually, these spiders are mistaken for the true black widow, which belongs to another genus, but the same family. The lifespan of the female false widow is longer than the lifespan of the male. The Steatoda grossa (false black widow) builds webs in their natural habitat. Steatoda borealis, which belongs to the same family as Steatoda grossa, can be differentiated from the Steatoda grossa due to its smaller body.

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What type of animal is a Steatoda grossa?

Steatoda grossa is a kind of spider. These creatures are also known as cupboard spiders or false black widow spiders.

What class of animal does a Steatoda grossa belong to?

These false widow spiders belong to the class Arachnida. They are part of the Theridiidae family and the Steatoda genus.

How many Steatoda grossa are there in the world?

Though the exact number of false widow spiders is not known, these insects are spread out throughout the world in several places. Hence, it can be assumed they have a stable population. The several species under the genus Steatoda to which this spider belongs are also very commonly found around the world.

Where does a Steatoda grossa live? 

The cupboard spider (Steatoda grossa) has a cosmopolitan distribution. Hence, this spider is found in several places across the globe. Their locations include North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

What is a Steatoda grossa's habitat? 

These false widow spiders are most commonly seen on walls of houses, trees, and fence-like structures. They can also live under rocks and woods. In southern Europe, these spiders have been seen living in caves. This species makes webs where they reside, that are irregular in shape and made out of silk fibers. The females invest a lot of time to build their web.

Who do Steatoda grossa live with?

This spider species are known to be solitary in nature. However, the male and female false black widow spiders do come together for mating. Since false widows live in urban areas, they also live near humans.

How long does a Steatoda grossa spider live?

The female false widow spider has a longer life than the male. While female spiders of this species are known to live up to six years, the male spiders only live between one to one and a half years. The males usually die soon after mating with the females.

How do they reproduce?

The males in this species belonging to Europe have been observed to make sounds with the use of their body parts while courting the females. This behavior is yet to be studied in the population of this species residing in North America. Once fertilization is carried out, the females lay three or more egg sacs. Each egg sac has 40-100 eggs, which are watched over by the female until the spiderlings hatch.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of this species, steatoda grossa, has not been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN. However, since these spiders have a very wide distribution throughout the world, just like the other species under the genus Steatoda, it can be inferred that they are under no threat of endangerment. Their status, thus, is Not Evaluated.

What do Steatoda grossas look like?

This member of the Steatoda genus is usually dark in color with a round abdomen. Some of their typical colors are purplish brown, dark brown, black, white, or tan. They also have a pale pattern on their abdomen. The legs in the males are brighter than the legs in the females. However, both the sexes have a similar pattern of color.

Even though these spiders are mistaken for true black widows belonging to a different genus, the Steatoda grossa does not have any bright pattern on their bodies.

How cute are they?

The false black widow spider may not appear cute to everyone, but just like any other organism, they are fun and interesting to learn about.

How do they communicate?

This species Steatoda grossa is known to communicate using chemical means and also vibrations and sounds. The male spiders are known to make vibrations along the web fibers during courtship. Some male populations of this species have also been documented producing sounds while courting the female. Since these spiders have poor eyesight, they mainly rely on web vibrations to assess their surroundings.

How big is an Steatoda grossa? 

The females are usually larger than the males in this species. The length range of a female false widow is 0.2-0.4 in (6-10.5 mm), while that of the male false widow is 0.1-0.3 in (4.1-10 mm). The false black widows have a length similar to the real black widows.

How fast can Steatoda grossas move?

Not much is known about how fast these spiders move. However, like other spiders, they alternately make use of their four pairs of legs to crawl around.

How much does a Steatoda grossa weigh?

The precise weight of this species of spider is not known. However, in general, spiders do not weigh more than a few ounces. The Steatoda genus usually weighs about 0.03 oz (8.5 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male and female spiders of this species are known as male Steatoda grossa and female Steatoda grossa, respectively.

What would you call a baby Steatoda grossa?

A baby Steatoda grossa, or false widow, is known as a spiderling.

What do they eat? 

This steatoda species mainly feeds on other insects. They are also known to eat true black widows.

Are they harmful?

The false black widow is known to be quite docile and not aggressive towards humans. They only resort to biting if their web is disturbed in any way. Even though they do have some amount of venom or poison, it is not enough to cause long-term ill effects in humans.

Would they make a good pet?

The false widow is not commonly seen as a pet. However, some pet shops might sell this species.

Did you know...

These spiders can live for several months without eating as long as they have access to water.

Steatoda grossa and Steatoda borealis almost look the same, except the latter is smaller in size and is found in colder climates.

How dangerous is Steatoda grossa?

Steatoda grossa (false black widow) is not considered to be dangerous. Even though these spiders are capable of biting, the Steatoda grossa's bite is not dangerous. Steatoda grossa bite symptoms may include pain, fever, blisters at the site of the bite, and muscle spasms. However, these are not long-lasting.

How to get rid of Steatoda grossa?

Getting rid of the steatoda grossa can be done by vacuuming the house and clearing out their web. You may also capture the spider in a glass jar and release them somewhere away from your home.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including the six-eyed sand spider and the orb-weaver spider.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our scary spider coloring pages.