About Steatoda capensis Hann, 1990
Steatoda capensis is a small spider that is typically uniformly shiny black all over its body. It may have a small bright red, orange, or yellow patch near the tip of its abdomen, plus a crescent-shaped band near the front of the abdomen. This species is native to South Africa, and is also found in Australia and New Zealand, where it is especially widespread. These spiders are synanthropic, and frequently live on or inside buildings. They also live in a range of other habitats, including sand dunes. In New Zealand, Steatoda capensis occurs in the same sand dune habitats that are home to the endemic katipō spider. The two species occupy similar ecological niches, but S. capensis is able to reproduce more quickly. For this reason, it is possible that S. capensis is slowly displacing katipō spiders from their native habitat, which may contribute to the declining population of katipō.
