Red widow

Indlela yokusibona

• The cephalothorax (the front part of the body) is red-orange.1
• The abdomen is black, with yellow rings outlining rows of red spots.1
• The legs are vermilion red.1
• The underside does not have the familiar hourglass marking. It usually has one or two small red marks instead.1
• Females are almost double the size of males.1

Ivamise ukudidaniswa ne: It is closely related to the black widow (Latrodectus mactans). The two can be told apart by features of the male and female genitalia, which are examined under magnification. The red widow's male embolus has one fewer loop, and the female's connecting ducts to the spermatheca also have one fewer loop.1