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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Widow Spiders (Latrodectus) » Western Black Widow (Latrodectus hesperus)
Photo#1925659
Black Widow spider - Latrodectus hesperus - female
Copyright © 2020 Don Johnston

Black Widow spider - Latrodectus hesperus - Female
Ontario, Canada
December 18, 2020
Hello. Wondering if someone can key out the species. This spider was found in a bunch of grapes from the USA. Maybe California but do not know for sure. Thanks! The hourglass is orange/red and has a pattern of lines throughout.
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Contributed by Don Johnston on 20 December, 2020 - 10:25am
Last updated 23 September, 2022 - 11:55pm

Moved
Moved from Widow Spiders.
… Jeff Hollenbeck, 23 September, 2022 - 11:55pm login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from Spiders.
… Tyler Hedlund, 22 December, 2020 - 9:57am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Nathaniel Green, 22 December, 2020 - 8:41am login or register to post comments

Not sure, but...
...with the possible California connection, my leading suspect is Latrodectus hesperus - the Western Black Widow.

The Genus Latrodectus page has links to the pages of all 5 NA species (one introduced). The black color mitigates against the introduced Brown Widow or the Red Widow. The complete hourglass mitigates against the Northern Black Widow. No dorsal view, so can't distinguish the Southern Black Widow, which has conspicuous red markings, from the Western Black Widow, whose abdomen is usually mostly black except for the hourglass.
… Kurt Foster, 20 December, 2020 - 9:14pm login or register to post comments

 
Black widow spider
The dorsal side is black without any markings.
… Don Johnston, 20 December, 2020 - 9:19pm login or register to post comments

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