Redback Spiders 26/11/09

A new report indicates that Japan is being overun by Aussie redback spiders. Believed to have been introduced years ago in imported cargo, the spiders have bred prolifically and have spread throughout the country. Over a dozen people have reportedly been bitten in the Osaka area alone. The redback spider is a smallish black spider with distintive red markings on the back. A very similar spider, the katapo, lives in coastal areas of New Zealand.