| Photo Information |
Copyright: Leon Trippaers (letr)
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1162 W: 419 N: 1111]](http://i1.treklens.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (6780) |
| Genre: Places |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2007-07-26 |
| Categories: Nature |
| Camera: Fuji Finepix S5000 |
| Exposure: f/2.8 |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2008-12-15 13:50 |
| Viewed: 487 |
| Points: 4 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Black Widow spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Theridiidae
Genus: Latrodectus
Fabricius, 1775
L. hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935
L. variolus Walckenaer, 1837
The black widow spider is a group of spiders which includes the southern black widow (Latrodectus mactans), the northern black widow (Latrodectus variolus), and the western black widow (Latrodectus hesperus). As the name indicates, the southern widow is primarily found in (and is indigenous to) the southeastern United States, ranging from Florida to New York, and west to Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona, where they run particularly rampant. The northern black widow is found primarily in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, though its ranges overlap that of L. mactans quite a bit. The western widow is found in the western United States, as well as in southwestern Canada and much of Mexico. Black widows range in the southern parts of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario - but only on the Bruce Peninsula.[1] They are often confused with the False Black Widows.
Female black widow spiderLatrodectus sp. This is an unnamed species of Latrodectus from Jalisco state, Mexico.Prior to 1970, when the current taxonomic divisions for North American black widows were set forth by Kaston[2], all three varieties were classified as a single species, L. mactans. As a result, there exist numerous references which claim that "black widow" (without any geographic modifier) applies to L. mactans alone. Since common usage of the term "black widow" makes no distinction between the three species (and many people are unaware of the differences between them), and because the three species have much in common, this article treats all three species of black widow equally. Except where otherwise indicated, the remainder of the article applies to all three of the above species.
Black widow spiders typically prey on a variety of insects, but occasionally they do feed upon woodlice, diplopods, chilopods and other arachnids.[3] When the prey is entangled by the web, L. mactans quickly comes out of its retreat, wraps the prey securely in its strong web, then bites and envenoms its prey. The venom takes about ten minutes to take effect; in the meantime, the prey is held tightly by the spider. When movements of the prey cease, digestive enzymes are released into the wound. The black widow spider then carries its prey back to its retreat before feeding.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Picture taken in the serpentarium in Blankenberge.
I pressed the lens against the glass to avoid movement and glare from the glass, set the camera on Macro and click...captured the black widow..it is a real small spider but deadly if you aren't carefull....
Greetings
Leon |
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