Introductions[edit]The redback spid

Introductions[edit]
The redback spider's affinity for human-modified habitat has enabled it to spread to several countries via international shipping and trade. Furthermore, its tolerance to cold means that it has the ability to colonise many temperate countries with a winter climate cooler than Australia. This is concerning due to the risks to people being bitten who are unaware of its venomous nature, and also to the conservation of local threatened insect species that the redback might prey upon.[37]
Redback spiders are also found in small colonies in areas of New Zealand. They are frequently intercepted by quarantine authorities, often among steel or car shipments.[37] They were introduced into New Zealand in the early 1980s and now are found around Central Otago (including Alexandra, Bannockburn and near Wanaka) in the South Island and New Plymouth in the North Island.[37][53][54] Authorities in the United Arab Emirates warn residents and visitors of redback spiders, which have been present since 1990.[55] Colonies have also been established in greenhouses in Belgium, and isolated observations indicate possible presence in New Guinea, the Philippines, and India.[37] Some redbacks were found in Preston, Lancashire, England, after a container of parts arrived from Australia; some may have escaped into the countryside before pest controllers could destroy them.[56] One redback was recently found in a back garden in Dartford in Kent.[57] Two females were discovered in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas in 2010.[58]
There is an established population of redback spiders in Osaka, Japan,[37][59][60] thought to have arrived in cargoes of wood chips.[61] In 2008, redback spiders were found in Fukuoka, Japan. Over 700 have been found near the container terminal in Hakata Bay, Fukuoka City.[62] Dispersal mechanisms within Japan are unclear, but redbacks are thought to have spread by walking or by being carried on vehicles.[60] In September 2012, a woman was hospitalised after being bitten in the Higashi Ward of Fukuoka City.[63] Signs warning about redback spiders have been posted in parks around the city, as Japan previously had no dangerous spiders.[62]