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Genus Steatoda

Black spider - Steatoda bipunctata Spiderling - Steatoda triangulosa False Black Widow - Steatoda grossa - female cobweb spider - Steatoda borealis - female Steatoda grandis - male small spotted spider - Steatoda triangulosa Steatoda? - Steatoda borealis - female Spider id request  - Steatoda grossa
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Entelegynae)
Family Theridiidae (Cobweb Spiders)
Genus Steatoda
Numbers
20 species in our region. (1)
19 species and one subspecies according to the World Spider Catalog. Changes in taxonomy may be the reason for this discrepancy. S. americana and pulchra have been moved to Asagena.
Size
Females: 2.5-11.0 mm; Males: 2.0-7.5 mm. (1)
Identification
Coloration purple-brown, often with white line around anterior of abdomen and other markings. Large colulus.

Steatoda variata
Range
More specific range information will be added when time/resources allow.

S. alamosa
S. albomaculata - Southern Canada to central Mexico
S. apacheana
S. atascadera
S. borealis (only one in AK)
S. castanea (Canada)
S. erigoniformis (tropical)
S. grandis
S. hespera - Western United States
S. mexicana
S. nobilis - Ventura County, CA
S. palomara - San Diego County, CA
S. punctulata
S. quadrimaculata
S. transversa
S. triangulosa - Widespread in the United States.
S. variata - UT, AZ, CO, NM, western TX, Mexico
- variata china - very southern tip of TX
S. washona
See Also
Internet References
digitallibrary.amnh.org - PDF Article, The fulva group of the spider genus Steatoda (Araneae, Theridiidae). Gertsch, 1960. (good reference)

biodiversitylibrary.org - PDF Article, Spider Genera Crustulina and Steatoda. Levi, 1957. (good reference)
Works Cited
1.Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual
D. Ubick, P. Paquin, P.E. Cushing and V. Roth (eds). 2005. American Arachnological Society.