Genus
Latrodectus (Widow spiders)
Latrodectus hesperus. Photo: (c) Marshal Hedin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
Latrodectus is a genus of spiders in the family Theridiidae, most of which are commonly known as widow spiders. The genus contains 31 recognized species distributed worldwide, including the North American black widows (L. mactans, L. hesperus, and L. variolus), the button spiders of Africa, and the Australian redback spider. Species vary widely in size. In most cases, the females are dark-coloured and readily identifiable by reddish markings on the abdomen, which are often (but not…
CLICK TO MANAGE