Cobweb weaver vs Common Seahorse

Steatoda nobilis compared with Hippocampus kuda

Key Differences

• Cobweb weaver is Not Evaluated while Common Seahorse is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cobweb weaver	Common Seahorse
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Arachnida (Arachnids)	Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)
Order	Araneae (Araneae)	Perciformes (Perch-like Fish)
Family	Theridiidae	Pomacentridae (Clownfish & Damselfish)
Genus	Steatoda	Amphiprion (Clownfish)
Species	Steatoda nobilis	Hippocampus kuda

Evolutionary Relationship

Cobweb weaver and Common Seahorse share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cobweb weaver

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Seahorse

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cobweb weaver	Common Seahorse
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	5 years
Average Length	—	17 cm
Average Weight	—	10 g

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).

Common Seahorse

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Philippines. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Common Seahorse

The common seahorse is found in tropical and temperate waters. Males carry and deliver the babies.