Black widow spider found in Shaviyani atoll

A black widow spider has been found in Milandhoo, in Shaviyani atoll, prompting local authorities to search the island for more of the deadly creatures, reports Haveeru.

“We reported to the police immediately. Then, upon police instructions, we have handed it over to the council office. We checked the whole area as best as we could to see if we could find another. But we did not”, a local source told Haveeru.

The new sightings follow the paper’s reports of an “infestation” of the equally venomous brown variety of the species in Hulhumalé last month.

The source of the spiders in Hulhumalé was believed to be items entering the country at the international airport – connected to Hulhumalé, while those in Milandhoo have been linked to a garage – which imports a lot of vehicle parts – close to the site where the spider was found.