Latrodectus variolus
Northern Black Widow, females
The Northern Black Widow ( Latrodectus variolus ) is a web spider from the family of cobweb spiders ( Theridiidae ).
Description
The females are 9 to 11 millimeters long, the males only 4 to 5 millimeters. The basic color of the female is black. The characteristic red markings on the ventral side of the abdomen is similar as with some other types of Real widows the outlines of an hourglass. However, it differs from that of other species of black widow spiders in that it is divided into two parts. The two ventral side lying red trapezoids are therefore not fused together. Also striking is a series of red dots on the abdomen in the females of the Northern Black Widow.
The basic color of the males is also black, but they have four diagonal stripes on each side of the abdomen. Such strips also show the pups.
Similar Species
The Northern Black Widow was once considered a subspecies of the Southern Black Widow ( Latrodectus mactans ) is considered, which it closely resembles. The Southern and the Western Black Widow ( Latrodectus hesperus ), formerly also had only the status of a subspecies, but are slightly larger than the Northern Black Widow. Distinguishing features are mainly the Sanduhrzeichnungen that have the two sister species no separate red marks. The red dots on the abdomen do not exist in Latrodectus mactans and Latrodectus hesperus at. This could be the Northern Black Widow rather with the European black widow ( Latrodectus tredecimguttatus ) be mistaken, but with which it has no common area of distribution.
Occurrence
The Northern Black Widow is located on the east coast of the North American continent. It comes from northern Florida in the United States to the south east of Canada before, but focus their distribution is the northern part of this area. She lives in undisturbed forests, tree stumps and stone walls.
Way of life
The Northern Black Widow eats insects, including beetles and grasshoppers, they can also prey on smaller vertebrates and other spiders.