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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Widow Spiders (Latrodectus) » Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)
Photo#181253
Black Widow 1 - Latrodectus mactans
Copyright © 2008 Lee Ruth

Black Widow 1 - Latrodectus mactans
Cass County, Texas, USA
April 30, 2008
Size: 1/2 inch
Not sure if this is a male or a female. I suspect that what appears (at first glance) to be very bulbous bulging eyes are actually pedipalps and therefore it is a male but I do not known if males have the red hourglass shape on the bottom. Any help is appreciated..

Lee

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Black Widow 1 - Latrodectus mactans Black Widow 2 - Latrodectus mactans Black Widow 3 - Latrodectus mactans
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Contributed by Lee Ruth on 7 May, 2008 - 8:41pm
Last updated 11 May, 2008 - 9:06pm

After some further research
I an inclined to believe it is a Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans).

Lee
… Lee Ruth, 7 May, 2008 - 11:28pm login or register to post comments

its
a mature male but i couldnt say which species of widow it is
… Mike "troll" Dame, 7 May, 2008 - 8:59pm login or register to post comments

 
yes
agreed, and it's also correct about the pedipalps. However, I believe you may have 3 different species of Widow in TX. I'm not sure how to distinguish between them either. If you don't get a comment from Jeff H. or someone else who knows for sure in the next few days, you should move this to the widow guide page here. That way it won't get buried and forgotten in the ID Request.
… Lynette Elliott, 7 May, 2008 - 9:36pm login or register to post comments

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