black widow: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	karakurt • katipo • button spider • Latrodectus

Photos and Videos

A female black widow spider hangs upside down in her web near a white egg sac, with tiny baby spiders crawling nearby.

Illustration of a black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) shown from above, with a close-up ventral view highlighting the red hourglass marking on its underside. A scale bar compares its size to 3 centimeters and 1 inch.

Illustration of a red widow spider (Latrodectus bishopi) showing its reddish legs and cephalothorax, with a black abdomen marked by red and white spots. A scale beside the spider indicates its size is about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

Illustration of a brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) with long legs and a patterned brown body, shown from above. An inset displays the spider's underside, highlighting its ventral markings. A scale bar indicates its size, about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

A Redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) with a shiny black body and distinctive red stripe on its rounded abdomen stands on a light tan surface.

Illustration of a redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti) showing a black body with a distinctive red stripe on its back, alongside a scale indicating its size of about 3 centimeters or 1 inch.

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Topics

Latrodectus curacaviensis Latrodectus dahli brown widow Latrodectus hystrix Latrodectus pallidus Latrodectus mactans redback Venom widow spider comb-footed spider

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