Arthropods • Earth.com

Brown widow

(Latrodectus geometricus)

Description

Latrodectus geometricus, commonly known as the brown widow, brown button spider, grey widow, brown black widow, 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). L. geometricus has black and white patterns on the sides of its abdomen as well as an orange-yellow colored hourglass shape. Their eggs are easily identified by points that project from all over the egg sacs. L. geometricus are found all over the world, but are believed to originate in South America. Their bites, though painful, are not considered to be dangerous. L. geometricus derives its name from the geometric patterning on its abdomen. However, the spider's coloring can and does darken over time and the pattern may become obscured. Similar widows include the L. rhodesiensis, a brown-colored relative of L. geometricus which is native to Zimbabwe. Both species are collectively known as brown button spiders throughout southern Africa. L. geometricus is slightly smaller and generally lighter in color than the black widow species; the color can range from tan to dark brown to black, with shades of grey also possible. Like the black widow species in the United States, L. geometricus has a prominent hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of the abdomen; the brown widow's hourglass, however, is usually a vivid orange or a yellowish color. Unlike the black widow, L. geometricus has a black-and-white geometric pattern on the dorsal side of its abdomen. They also have stripes on their legs. Brown widows can be located by finding their egg sacs, which are easily identifiable. They resemble a sandspur, having pointed projections all over, and they are sometimes described as "tufted", "fluffy", or "spiky" in appearance. Eggs hatch in approximately 20 days. Female brown widows lay about 120-150 eggs per sac and can make 20 egg sacs over a lifetime. Because L. geometricus is dispersed all around the globe, they have many predators. Brown widows are commonly preyed upon by different types of wasps, including mud daubers and digger wasps. The brown widow has a cosmopolitan distribution. It is thought by some researchers to originate in South Africa, although this is uncertain, as specimens were discovered in both Africa and South America. They are usually found around buildings in tropical areas. They can compete with populations of the black widow spider.

Taxonomic tree:

Domain:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:
Class:
Order:Araneae
Family:Theridiidae
Genus:Latrodectus
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