Foreign spiders have colonised areas where suitable habitat remains. The major coloniser is the South African spider "Steatoda capensis". It was first reported in the 1990s and may have displaced the katipō along the west coast of the North Island from Wellington to Whanganui, although both the katipō and "S. capensis" have been found sharing the same dune systems or even co-existing under the same piece of driftwood, suggesting that the two species can co-exist in similar habitats. It is possible that the displacement of the katipō by "S. capensis" is due to its ability to recolonise areas from which the katipō had been displaced after storms or other dune modifications. Furthermore, "S. capensis" breeds year-round, produces more offspring and lives in a greater range of habitats which leads to greater pressure on the katipō. "S. capensis" also belongs to the family Theridiidae and shares many of the katipō's features. It is of similar size, shape, general coloration, but it lacks the red stripe on its back, and may have some red, orange or yellow on its abdomen. Due to these similarities it is commonly known in New Zealand as the "false katipō".