Is this a Black Widow? - Castianeira descripta

Moved

Moved from Spiders.

… Jeff Hollenbeck, 24 June, 2007 - 1:58pm

Castianeira

Looks very similar to this spider found here. I'm no expert on spiders so I can't tell you it's the exact same species but I think that's a good starting point.

… Nick Fensler, 7 June, 2007 - 11:22am

I agree.

Definitely NOT a black widow, but perhaps a 'mimic' of one. This kind of spider hunts without a web, so is more vulnerable to attack from predators itself. None in the genus Castianeira are dangerous.

… Eric R. Eaton, 7 June, 2007 - 1:27pm

Welcome to Bug Guide

I have only very limited experience and that with western widows; this doesn't look like those I've seen. (Ours are shaped differently and typically shiny with much less red.)

If you'd like to browse through some black widow images, use this link: http://bugguide.net/node/view/1999/bgpage

Note also that there's an Info tab associated with each image, where you can often get quick facts, plus an Image tab to access additional photos.

… Ron Hemberger, 7 June, 2007 - 10:27am