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Photo#237818
Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female

Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - Female
Sand Springs, Osage County, Oklahoma, USA
November 2, 2008
Size: 13mm (1/2")
Is this Black Widow a northern or southern widow? I'm thinking northern.
Please help with ID.

Images of this individual: tag all
Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female Black Widow - Latrodectus mactans - female

Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)
It looks more like a Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans) to me. Northern Widows (Latrodectus variolus) almost always have a divided hourglass, whereas Southern Widows have a complete hourglass. And judging by the complete hourglass that is shown in your 5th image, I would say it is a Southern Widow.
I can see why you might think it is Northern Widow, though. Granted, your specimen seems to have more red markings across its back - a feature more common in Northern Widows - than a typical Southern Widow would have, but this feature varies greatly among individual spiders and is generally not the best way to establish an ID.

Hope this helps...

 
Ok, you got me :-D
I did use the multiple red/orange markings on her back to conclude northern.
However, after looking through the guide pages as well as your suggested pics I agree that northern widows have the broken hourglass and southern is solid.
I appreciate the help! And, I learned something.

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