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Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans)
Photo#237818
Copyright © 2008
Sam Houston
Black Widow -
Latrodectus mactans
-
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:
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Contributed by
Sam Houston
on 3 November, 2008 - 11:09am
Last updated 3 November, 2008 - 3:47pm
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...
…
Brett Tyler
, 3 November, 2008 - 3:35pm
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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.
…
Sam Houston
, 3 November, 2008 - 3:43pm
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