May, 2002

Black Widow, Latrodectus mactans

(Nikon 990 digital camera with built-in flash / 9mb tiff file processed in Adobe Photoshop)

The Black Widow spider is one of a few poisonous spiders that is found in North America. Although rarely seen the spider is much more common that is believed. It lives in dark, out of the way places and is very seldom found inside houses or other frequently inhabited buildings.

This spider is easily identified and is characterized by a relatively large, red hourglass shaped spot found on the ventral surface of the abdomen. Sometimes smaller red spots are found on the dorsal surface of the abdomen. She is a fairly large spider, about 1/2 inch in length, and found in all the warmer regions of the world. It is a very common spider.

The venom of the Black Widow is very toxic and even more potent than that of the rattlesnake, however, deaths are rare as the spider is small and cannot inject but a tiny amount. The bite is very painful and many times requires a short hospital stay.

Click on the following links to learn more about this interesting spider.


http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061A.html


http://www.pestproducts.com/blackwid.htm


http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~glen/widow.htm

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