Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Latrodectus indistinctus is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae, found in Namibia and South Africa. [1] It is one of six species of Latrodectus found in southern Africa, four of which, including L. indistinctus, are known as black button or black widow spiders.
Females of a few species are paler brown and some have no bright markings. The bodies of black widow spiders range from 3–10 mm (0.12–0.39 in) in size; some females can measure 13 mm (0.51 in) in their body length (not including legs). [8] Including legs, female adult black widows generally measure 25–38 mm (1–1.5 in). [9] [10]
Latrodectus mactans, known as southern black widow or simply black widow, and the shoe-button spider, [citation needed] is a venomous species of spider in the genus Latrodectus. The females are well known for their distinctive black and red coloring and for the fact that they will occasionally eat their mates after reproduction.
Latrodectus geometricus, commonly known as the brown widow, [2] [3] brown button spider, grey widow, brown black widow, [3] house button spider or geometric button spider, is one of the widow spiders in the genus Latrodectus. As such, it is a 'cousin' to the more infamous Latrodectus mactans (black widow).
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 black widow’s venom attacks human nerve cells, and potentially can be dangerous to people — especially small children and older adults with preexisting health conditions.
Button spider is a common name used in Southern Africa to refer to local members of the spider genus, Latrodectus, the family Theridiidae.There are both black and brown button spiders in Southern Africa, that are known elsewhere as widow spiders.
Latrodectism (/ l æ t r ə ˈ d ɛ k t ɪ z əm /) is the illness caused by the bite of Latrodectus spiders (the black widow spider and related species). Pain, muscle rigidity, vomiting, and sweating are the symptoms of latrodectism.