Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

Register · Log In
HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
BugGuide Gathering
Pack Forest
Washington State
July 10-12, 2009
Details...

Photos from the 2009 gathering
 
Photos from the 2008 gathering in Tennessee
 
Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynes » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Widow Spiders (Latrodectus) » Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus)
Photo#263230
Western Black Widow - Latrodectus hesperus - female
Copyright © 2009 Lynette Schimming

Western Black Widow - Latrodectus hesperus - Female
Desert Hot Springs, Riverside County, California, USA
April 2, 2009
I found this black widow in the desert in a hole in the sand. It has a second smaller hole behind it, where it can hide completely from view. I find it interesting that it's sharing its web with a cellar spider, which I thought were known for killing widows?

Images of this individual: tag all
Western Black Widow - Latrodectus hesperus - female Desert Hot Springs Habitat - Latrodectus hesperus
tag · login or register to post comments
Contributed by Lynette Schimming on 4 April, 2009 - 10:11am

It
is common to find Pholcids in the webs of adult female widows, especially in the southwest. I sometimes find them in the webs of mactans in my area. They build their own web, but also go after small prey in the widows web.
They might be able to capture adult males and small juvenile widows, but I've never seen or heard of them capturing larger one's.
… Jeff Hollenbeck, 4 April, 2009 - 10:37am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks Jeff,
good to know.
… Lynette Schimming, 4 April, 2009 - 5:32pm login or register to post comments

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2010 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version 		Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Site Map
Contact