Latrodectus hesperus, the western black widow spider or western widow, is a venomous spider species found in western regions of North America. The female's body is 14–16 mm (1/2 in) in length and is black, often with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the lower abdomen. This "hourglass" mark can be red, yellow, and on rare occasions, white. The male of the species is around half this length, and generally a beige color with lighter striping on the abdomen. The population was previously described as a subspecies of Latrodectus mactans, and it is closely related to the northern species Latrodectus variolus. The species, as with others of the genus, build irregular or tangled webs.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
Venomous. The note covers its whole genus. Widow spiders; latrotoxin Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Latrodectus mactans — venomous
- Latrodectus dahli — venomous
- Latrodectus mirabilis — venomous
- Latrodectus hasselti — venomous
- Latrodectus variolus — venomous
- Latrodectus geometricus — venomous
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Araneae
- Family
- Theridiidae
- Genus
- Latrodectus
- Species
- Latrodectus hesperus
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