Australia is now on red alert. The New Zealand false widow spider, dubbed an 'alien monster' by scientists, has established ...

The venomous noble false widow spider (Steatoda nobilis) has officially established itself in New Zealand, with confirmed ...

Rob Bendelow said the horrifying ordeal left him in 'excruciating' pain with a wound the size of a 50 pence piece ...

Discover more about "Britain's most venomous" spider - the noble false widow, from where you'll find it in the UK to how dangerous it is.

Noble false widow spiders (Steatoda nobilis) are native to the Canary Islands. They reached England in the 1870s, after stowing away on ships carrying bananas and ornamental plants.

While noble false widow spiders (Steatoda nobilis) are one of the largest species of theridiid spider, they still only have a body size of 13.7 millimeters (0.5 inches) long.

The noble false widow now appears to be a regular vertebrate-eating spider, according to scientists from Ireland who have been studying a wide range of characteristics specific to the species ...

Pictured: An adult bat that was captured and entangled in the web of a noble false widow spider in England (Image: Ben Waddams) In the UK, the species is protected under the Wildlife and ...

The noble false widow is not a visually spectacular spider. It has a dark, bulbous abdomen bearing a light brown hexagon that resembles a skull and is roughly the size of a 50p coin.

Co-senior author Dr John Dunbar described the noble false widow spider as a "truly remarkable animal". "At every turn this species has surprised us in its ability to become globally invasive and ...