This is the only pic I have, sorry it's not the absolute best. I don't have a spider ID guide or id check myself. I've checked the internet and I'm getting mixed answers.
From the looking I've done, this is a red backed widow, which actually comes from Australia, related to our black widow. What's interesting about this, I took a class for my applicators license the other day. The instructor was talking about structural pests and said to watch for these. He said it's very important to know because a red backed widow bite requires anti venom. So can anyone positively id this, please no guesses.
Males will usually have markings on their back that are unlike the females. Is it a little smaller than the obligatory female with a red hourglass underneath?
Female widow spiders are typically dark brown or a shiny black in colour when they are full grown, usually exhibiting a red or orange hourglass on the ventral surface (underside) of the abdomen; some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. The male widow spiders often exhibit various red or red and white markings on the dorsal surface (upper side) of the abdomen, ranging from a single stripe to bars or spots, and juveniles are often similar to the male pattern.
It could just as easily be a Western or Southern Black Widow but a it's a native Black Widow either way. The males don't last long due to their evil mate so they're not near as common as the females. I've probably seen 100 females for every male I've ran across.
Female widow spiders are typically dark brown or a shiny black in colour when they are full grown, usually exhibiting a red or orange hourglass on the ventral surface (underside) of the abdomen; some may have a pair of red spots or have no marking at all. The male widow spiders often exhibit various red or red and white markings on the dorsal surface (upper side) of the abdomen, ranging from a single stripe to bars or spots, and juveniles are often similar to the male pattern.
If I'm correct though, the male black widow isnt actually black right. They are usually brown with markings on the top side of the back from what I understand. So this would of been a juveniile female?
The males are usually brownish, half the size of the female and not all round in the abdomen. Juvenile female would be my call too. Sometimes the red dorsal stripe doesn't fade away in female adults but it's pretty rare. I'm not aware of any established populations of Australian Redback spiders in the USA thank goodness.
The males are usually brownish, half the size of the female and not all round in the abdomen. Juvenile female would be my call too. Sometimes the red dorsal stripe doesn't fade away in female adults but it's pretty rare. I'm not aware of any established populations of Australian Redback spiders in the USA thank goodness.
Yeah, that instructor said they aren't being documented, but they're here and to watch for them.
No sir! I like spiders, probably played with that widow way too much trying to get a good pic though. I know the venomous ones, so I'm just fine coexisting with them. I did kill that one though because I knew it was a widow.
Im not scared of any bugs or spiders or snakes or anything. Have brown recluses, scorpions and snakes all over. BUT, the black widow creeps me out. With its glossy black body, it just looks evil. I don't like em!
I had some crazy fast aggressive Sun Scorpion Spiders (camel spider) in a building I owned in Colorado, I put one in a jar with a black widow to see who would win a fight...the black widow ran down to the bottom of the jar, whacked that camel spider and ran back up in a flash and a minute later that camel spider was dead, just like that, no challenge.
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