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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#470113
Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - male - female
Copyright © 2010 stan gilliam

Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - Male Female
Oak Ridge, Guilford County, North Carolina, USA
September 23, 2009
I took pictures over a period of about 20 minutes. The female lived in my woodpile.
I dared not disturb them, and I was unable to get a good shot of the female's abdomen. You can see the hourglass in one of the close ups and it looks connected, but barely.
Anyway, it was interesting to watch. The female did not move at all during the whole process, in which the male crawled all over her. I suppose that means she was receptive.
Ron Hemberger tells me that the gray blob in two of the pictures is the male's expanded palp which inseminating the female.
I did not see it until today, months after I took the pictures.

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Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - male - female Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - male - female Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - male - female Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - male - female Pair of black widows - Latrodectus mactans - male - female
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Contributed by stan gilliam on 5 November, 2010 - 8:48pm
Last updated 6 November, 2010 - 2:46pm

Nice shot, Stan
A fine capture of the size differences of spiders of different genders.
… Ron Hemberger, 5 November, 2010 - 9:07pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Ron. BTW, your cont
Thanks, Ron.
BTW, your contributions to BG
are wonderfully sharp and clear!
… stan gilliam, 6 November, 2010 - 7:44am login or register to post comments

 
My pleasure, Stan, and thanks for your kind words.
Oh, early on and subsequently under bad circumstances, I've turned in my share of less than stellar images.
… Ron Hemberger, 6 November, 2010 - 11:18am login or register to post comments

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