Red widow spiders have entirely red-brown bodies, with the exception of their black abdomen. ©Florida Division of Plant Industry Archive / CC BY 3.0 US, via Wikimedia Commons – Original ...

The female black widow is a jet-black spider with an hourglass-shaped red-to-yellow marking on its underbelly. It’s outstretched legs about cover a penny. The authors said, “The poison of the black ...

This variation in coloring means that black widow spiders can be tricky to spot if they aren’t black and red females. 2. Only female spiders bite … usually.

The black widow spider (Latrodectus spp.) ... 31 recognized species including the Australian red-back, brown widow spider (sometimes called the gray widow), and the red widow spider.

Editor’s note: This article was updated at 5:35 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, to correct that the red hourglass shape is on black widow spider’s abdomens. Originally Published: November 17, 2023 ...

Both species of widow spiders have glove-shaped abdomens and long legs, with females generally being larger than males. Female black widows are glossy black, featuring a red hourglass pattern on ...