Nearctic States & Provinces: AB AZ CA CO SC TX WA WY
Collection Locales Mapped by Year Collected:
The Nearctic Spider Database, http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/7811
Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935
western black widow
FAMILY: THERIDIIDAE Sundevall, 1833
Genus: Latrodectus Walckenaer, 1805
Species: Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935
Common Names
Family Common Name:
cobweb weavers
Genus Common Name:
widow spiders
Species Common Name:
western black widow
Distribution
Global Distribution: North America, Israel
Nearctic States & Provinces:
AB AZ CA CO SC TX WA WY
Collection Locales Mapped by Year Collected:
Natural History, Phenology & Image(s)
Feeding Guild:‡
space web builders
‡Feeding guild when noted defined by Uetz, G. W., J. Halaj, and A. B. Cady. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Journal of Arachnology 27:270-280.
Recorded Habitats:
(not yet recorded or unknown)
Life & Natural History:
(not yet recorded or unknown)
Seasonality of Specimen Records:
Image(s) of Habitus:
Credit: Lindsey, Irene
Credit: Matz, Kerry
Details About Males
Description:
(not yet recorded or unknown)
Image of External Male Genitalia:
(image not yet available)
Details About Females
Description:
(not yet recorded or unknown)
Image of Epigynum:
(image not yet available)
Synonyms and Chresonyms†
| Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie 1935 |
| Latrodectus mactans hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie 1935 |
| Latrodectus mactans texanus Chamberlin & Ivie 1935 |
| Latrodectus curacaviensis Bhatnagar & Rempel 1962 |
| Latrodectus variolus Levi 1969 |
| Latrodectus hesperus Kaston 1970 |
| Latrodectus hesperus Levy & Amitai 1983 |
| Latrodectus hesperus Levy 1998 |
Taxonomic References†
Bhatnagar, R. D. S. & J. G. Rempel. 1962. The structure, function, and postembryonic development of the male and female copulatory organs of the black widow spider Latrodectus curacaviensis (Müller). Can. J. Zool. 40: 465-510.
Chamberlin, R. V. & W. Ivie. 1935. The black widow spider and its varieties in the United States. Bull. Univ. Utah 25(8): 1-29.
Kaston, B. J. 1970. Comparative biology of American black widow spiders. Trans. San Diego Soc. nat. Hist. 16: 33-82.
Levi, H. W. 1969. Notes on American theridiid spiders. Psyche, Camb. 76: 68-73.
Levi, H. W. 1959. The spider genus Latrodectus (Araneae, Theridiidae). Trans. Am. microsc. Soc. 78: 7-43.
Levy, G. 1998. Araneae: Theridiidae. In auna Palaestina, Arachnida III. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Jerusalem.
Levy, G. & P. Amitai. 1983. Revision of the widow-spider genus Latrodectus (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Israel. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 77: 39-63.
†Nomenclature and taxonomic references from the World Spider Catalog accessible at http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/THERIDIIDAE.html
Other Nearctic Members of Genus Latrodectus Walckenaer, 1805‡‡
L. bishopi Kaston, 1938 ...............USA
L. geometricus C. L. Koch, 1841 ...............Cosmopolitan
L. mactans (Fabricius, 1775) ...............probably North America only
L. variolus Walckenaer, 1837 ...............USA, Canada
‡‡May also include species with Palearctic distribution