No other spider commands comparable human fear, revulsion and misunderstanding.  Almost everyone has heard that the black widow is deadly, eats its mate and wears a red hourglass on its belly.  In reality, its bite is extremely dangerous though rarely fatal and being shy and retiring, the widow’s threat to humans is minimal.  And while it sometimes eats its mate, it does so no more often than many other kinds of spiders.

            Black widows and closely related species belong to the genus Latrodectus, a Greek name meaning “robber-biter.”  An uncertain number of Latrodectus species occur worldwide.  Most are shiny black spiders with red abdominal markings, but some are drab or brightly patterned.  Endemic black widows occur throughout the continental United States and extreme southern Canada, but are found most often in generally warm regions.  Amazingly, the United States claims Five widow species within its boarders:  three black, one brown and one red!