Parasteatoda decorata?

Fact Box Species: Parasteatoda decorata? (This identification was based on direct advice provided by theridiid specialists Helen Smith and Greg Anderson, but see notes below) Previous species name: Achaearanea decorata Family: Theridiidae Body length: female: 7 mm male: about 3 mm Habitat: This spider normally lives in a dry leaf and tangled web, usually suspended in a fork of a tree branch or loose bark Toxicity: Both sexes of this species may be too small to cause more than mild illness in humans but they should still be handled with caution

Another view From above Oblique view With egg sac Another view From above Oblique view The male

The question mark after the species name shown on this page has been placed there because some arachnologists believe the abdominal markings visible on this spider are those of the Asian species Nihonhimea mundula. However, as of March 2019 the World Spider Catalog does not list Nihonhimea mundula as being in Australia and still recognizes Parasteatoda decorata as being a Queensland species. Hopefully, this uncertainty will be resolved in the near future.

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: Latrodectus hasselti.