An eight-year-old boy was rushed to hospital after he told his horrified mum he let a deadly black widow bite him so he could be a superhero just like Spider-Man.

The boy, from the town of Vichuloma, in Bolivia’s Department of Oruro, had tried to keep the bite a secret at first.

But as the agony grew he confessed to his mother, telling her he had wanted superpowers like his web-slinging idol.

Although black widow bites are rarely fatal in adults they can be deadly for children.

The case emerged as Ernesto Vasquez – head of the district’s Zoonotic Diseases Programme – revealed the case without naming the boy.

He said: “The child, without considering the risks, is said to have picked it up, as he indicated, and then put it on the back of his palm where the arachnid made the respective bite.”

Vasquez added that he was “extremely concerned” after discovering that the child had grabbed the creepy crawly because he dreamed of “becoming Spider-Man”.

After being rushed to the San Juan de Dios General Hospital in Oruro medics gave him the antidote and he stabilised within half an hour.

His mother reportedly told doctors that her son is “a fan of Spider-Man and likes to watch those movies.”

Vasquez said that the black widow often appeals to children because of its black and red body has the same colours as the Marvel character.

He added: “These black arachnids with red backs are black widows and will not turn anyone into Spider-Man.

“On the contrary, they are putting their lives at risk.”

The child, in this case, is said to be making a full recovery.