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Male Black Widow spiders are smaller than female Black Widow spiders. They live shorter lives and they look completely different from their male counterparts. Most people associate Black Widow with a black body with red hourglass markings on the underside of the abdomen.
Aug 7, 2023 · Unlike females, they lack the iconic red hourglass shape on their abdomen. Male Black Widows have enlarged pedipalps, which resemble small boxing gloves, used for mating. Identifying these differences is crucial for safety, as male Black Widows possess less potent venom and are less likely to bite.
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- Red hourglass marking. Check for 1–2 red triangles on the bottom of the spider’s body. The triangles are on the bottom of the spider’s backside, also known as its abdomen, so they'll be visible when the spider is hanging from a web but harder to see if it's crawling around.
- Shiny black bodies for females. Females are seen most often and they have hairless, dark bodies. Female black widows are dark-colored and have smooth, shiny bodies that grow up to 1⁄2 in (13 mm) long, excluding the legs.
- Tan body for males and juveniles. Look for white and tan patterns on these lesser-seen spiders. Young spiders and males have reddish-brown legs and a splotchy white abdomen.
- Large round abdomen. The back half of the spider's body will look like a large ball. The abdomen is the back half of the spider’s body and looks much larger than the head.
Aug 6, 2023 · Distinguishing between male and female black widow spiders can be accomplished by observing several key characteristics. Females are larger, have a rounder and bulkier abdomen, and are marked with the infamous red hourglass shape on the underside of the abdomen.
The most obvious way to identify a Black Widow spider is by the red hourglass line on its abdomen underside. The brightness of this line sends signals to attackers and predators. In addition, the spider flaunts a shiny black color that is hard to miss. Again, most Black Widows are about three to ten millimeters in body size.
- Richie Scott
Black Widow Spider Male vs Female: Identification Hourglass and Red Spots. Black widow spiders, both male and female, are known for their distinct markings. Female southern black widows have a shiny, jet-black body with an orange to red hourglass marking on their abdomen’s underside.
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.
