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Brown Widow Spider

Latrodectus geometricus

Description:

L. geometricus is 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" 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. Although the Latin name comes from this pattern, a spider's coloring can and does darken over time and the pattern may become obscured.

Habitat:

The brown widow is found in parts of the southeastern, southern and southwestern United States (including Florida, Alabama, California, Oklahoma, Nevada, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas); as well as in parts of Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa and Cyprus. They are usually found around buildings in tropical areas.

Notes:

This photo was taken on PRIVATE PROPERTY! This is not a live spider, I was preparing to view it under a microscope. I found two specimen while looking for Black Widows that had recently been spotted in the area. You can locate these by locating their egg sacks.

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correaman13
Spotted by
correaman13

Davie, Florida, USA

Spotted on Mar 18, 2011
Submitted on Mar 18, 2011

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