Latrodectus geometricus

Basic information
Scientific name	Latrodectus geometricus	Click to magnify
Common names	Brown widow spider
Higher taxon	Theridiidae, Araneae, Arachnida, Arthropoda
Natural range	Australia, C & S America, Pacific islands.
Habitat	Urban area (in non-native range).

Invasion information
Range in Japan	There are records in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa Pref.
Origin	Unknown.
Date	The first record in Japan was at Honmoku Port, Yokohama, Kanagawa Pref.
Route	Accidental: With some kind of transport.
Impact	Potentially: bite (venomous). But, not as aggressive as L. hasselti.
Regulation in Japan	Import, transport and keeping are prohibited in Japan by the Invasive Alien Species Act.
Introduced range in other countries	Unknown.

Reference	Notes
JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha. (in Jpn) Pest Alert, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/venomousspiders.html Yoshida & Taki (2003) Distribution of Latrodectus geometricus in Japan. Med Entomol Zool. 53 (supplement), 62 (in Jpn) etc.	Latrodectus spp. is designated as a invasive alien species from October 2015