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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Widow Spiders (Latrodectus)
Photo#654605
WI060912 - Latrodectus
Copyright © 2012 Dan Watley

WI060912 - Latrodectus
Olney MD 20832-2130, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
June 9, 2012
Size: 11/16"/1.7 cm.
Found in our vegetable garden. Size = head to spinneret length. Four red dots: two circular dots on dorsal surface, one larger than the other; two on ventral side near spinneret orifice -- one tear-drop shaped, the other circular. Black widow maybe? Even with refrigeration, she was quite active, not a co-operative photo subject, so I erred on the side of caution.
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Contributed by Dan Watley on 9 June, 2012 - 6:41pm
Last updated 10 June, 2012 - 11:59am

variolus.
variolus.
… widowman10, 14 August, 2012 - 11:07am login or register to post comments

Moved
Moved from ID Request.
… Lynette Elliott, 10 June, 2012 - 11:59am login or register to post comments

I'm NOT an expert...
But it sure looks like an adult female Black Widow to me. The problem is that there are 2 species in Maryland, the Northern Black Widow (Latrodectus variolus) and the Southern Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans). The Southern will have a complete hour-glass shape on the underside while the Northern will have a broken hour-glass shape. Without a pic of the underside, it is difficult for me to tell which you have (although you don't want to be bitten by either)! Perhaps an expert will have a better idea...

Southern:


Northern:


.
… Dan Leeder, 9 June, 2012 - 9:03pm login or register to post comments

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