We report two confirmed human bite cases by Lactrodectus geometricus, also known as
the brown widow spider. These are the first reported bite envenomation incidents by
L. geometricus in Malaysia. The incidents occurred in Tawau, Sabah and Paka, Terengganu.
Both men were bitten on their ear while putting on motorcycle helmets. The spiders appeared
to have nested in the helmets. The dead specimens were collected and sent to the
Invertebrate and Vertebrate Neurobiology Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Universiti
Malaya for identification. The species identity was confirmed by DNA barcoding.
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