Cobweb weaver vs Cole's Wattle

Steatoda nobilis compared with Acacia colei

Key Differences

• Cobweb weaver is Not Evaluated while Cole's Wattle is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cobweb weaver	Cole's Wattle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Arachnida (Arachnids)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Araneae (Araneae)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Theridiidae	Fabaceae
Genus	Steatoda	Acacia
Species	Steatoda nobilis	Acacia colei

Conservation Status

Cobweb weaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Cole's Wattle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cobweb weaver	Cole's Wattle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cobweb weaver

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Ecuador).

Cole's Wattle

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Kenya and Tanzania.

Cobweb weaver

The noble false widow (Steatoda nobilis) is a theridiid spider that has attracted considerable media attention in the British Isles and along the Atlantic coast of Europe due to its painful but rarely dangerous bite and its rapid range expansion facilitated by human activity. Originally native to the Canary Islands and Madeira, the species arrived in southern England during the 19th century, likely via banana shipments, and has since spread northward through Britain and westward into Ireland, while also establishing populations along the Iberian Peninsula and Atlantic France. Females are robust, with a dark brown carapace and a distinctive cream-colored pattern on the bulbous abdomen that varies between individuals; females reach 8.5–14 millimeters in body length, making this one of the larger European theridiids. The species constructs persistent, tangled cobwebs in sheltered locations outside buildings—under window ledges, in door frames, and in garden walls—as well as within homes in cooler seasons. It is a generalist predator, capturing insects and other invertebrates, and has been reported to occasionally subdue prey considerably larger than itself, including small lizards. Steatoda nobilis venom produces steatodism, which can cause localized pain, swelling, and in rare cases systemic symptoms. Its conservation status has not been formally assessed, but its expanding range demonstrates considerable resilience.

Cole's Wattle

<em>Acacia colei</em>, commonly known as Cole's Wattle, is a tree or shrub in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Mimosoideae. The species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not currently at elevated risk of extinction. It is documented in Kenya and Tanzania, where it is associated with tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas within the Afrotropic realm. Like many acacias, <em>Acacia colei</em> is likely adapted to seasonally dry conditions, which are characteristic of the East African savanna ecosystems it inhabits. Members of the genus <em>Acacia</em> often play important ecological roles, providing shade, food, and habitat for a range of animals, and some fix atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic associations with soil bacteria. Diet, population estimates, and biological measurements including length, weight, and lifespan are not specified in available data for this species. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. Its Least Concern status reflects a relatively stable population in East African savanna landscapes.