The black widow spider is a group of venomous spiders found across much of the Americas and, for some related species, other parts of the world, best known for the females' glossy black body marked with a distinctive red or orange hourglass shape on the underside of the abdomen. Females are considerably larger than males and possess venom containing a potent neurotoxin that can cause severe muscle pain, cramping and other systemic symptoms in humans, though fatalities are now extremely rare thanks to effective antivenom and medical treatment. Black widows are typically shy, non-aggressive spiders that build irregular, tangled webs in sheltered spots such as woodpiles, sheds and undisturbed corners, and they usually bite only when directly threatened or accidentally pressed against. The species is infamous for a form of sexual cannibalism in which the female sometimes consumes the smaller male after or even during mating, a behavior that gives the spider its common name, though it occurs less frequently than popular belief suggests.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Living or Extinct Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceFemales are typically dark brown to shiny black with a red or orange hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen; males are smaller and often marked with red or red-and-white spots or bars on the upper abdomen. 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Scientific NameThe common name spans the genus Latrodectus (34 species) rather than one species; this entity's own description treats the black widow as the group, so the genus name is recorded rather than a single species binomial. Connections
Parent Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Latrodectus geometricus
Source Wikidata: Latrodectus hesperus
Source Wikidata: Latrodectus mactans
Source Wikidata: Latrodectus variolus
Source Wikidata: Redback Spider
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Latrodectus (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction
Latrodectus is a broadly distributed genus of spiders informally called the widow spiders, with several species that are commonly known as the true widows.
Diversity section, appearance paragraph
Female widow spiders are typically dark brown or a shiny black in colour when they are full grown, usually exhibiting a red or orange hourglass on the ventral surface (underside) of the abdomen; some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. The male widow spiders often exhibit various red or red and white markings on the dorsal surface (upper side) of the abdomen, ranging from a single stripe to bars or spots, and juveniles are often similar to the male pattern. Females of a few species are paler brown and some have no bright markings.
Section: Venom
Female widow spiders have unusually large venom glands, and their bite can be particularly harmful to large vertebrates, including humans. However, despite their notoriety, Latrodectus bites rarely cause death or produce serious complications.
Article text
To feed, the spider's mouth pulses digestive juices over the prey, which liquifies, which the spider internalizes by capillary action, sucking the slurry into its mouth.
View the Source 2. GBIF Species API
3. Wikidata (taxon extant/extinct status)
Wikimedia Foundation / Wikidata contributorsQ385932, descriptionView the Source 4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Arachnida
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 27
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Wikidata: Black Widow Spider
Wikidata Q385932, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Araneae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 82Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 82
"cites_listing":"II/III/NC","eu_listing":"B/C/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Arthropoda","class":"Arachnida","order":"Araneae","family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"蛛形目","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: Redback Spider
Parent Taxon Of: Redback Spider, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q385932 (Black Widow Spider)View the Source Wikidata: Katipo
Parent Taxon Of: Katipō, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q385932 (Black Widow Spider)View the Source Wikidata: Latrodectus geometricus
Parent Taxon Of: Latrodectus geometricus, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q385932 (Black Widow Spider)View the Source Wikidata: Latrodectus variolus
Parent Taxon Of: Latrodectus variolus, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q385932 (Black Widow Spider)View the Source Wikidata: Latrodectus hesperus
Parent Taxon Of: Latrodectus hesperus, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q385932 (Black Widow Spider)View the Source Wikidata: Latrodectus mactans
Parent Taxon Of: Latrodectus mactans, Wikidata P171 (parent taxon) claim, rank=normal, target=Q385932 (Black Widow Spider)View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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