The Most Terrifying "Widow" Spiders

Species: Latrodectus hasseltii

Size:3 to 10mm long.

Location:The Redback Spider (also known as the Australian Black Widow)is believed to have started in South Australia or near the Western Australian deserts. It now lives across Australia, Southeast Asia, and parts of New Zealand.This spider is believed to have started in South Australia or near the Western Australian deserts. You find it across Australia, Southeast Asia, and parts of New Zealand.

Females are black. They feature a bright-red stripe on the upper abdomen. The underside has an hourglass, colored red or orange. Males are brown and black and are much smaller than females.Why You Should Be Scared:

Why You Should Be Scared:Redback Spider venom harms humans. It causes sharp pain at the bite. Bites can also cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, and other serious problems needing medical care. An antivenom for the Redback Spider has existed since 1956 and stops the bite's effects.

Species: Latrodectus herperus

Size:12.5 to 35mm long.

Location:The Western Brown Widow likes warm areas. You find them in all four American southwest deserts. They hide under ledges, rocks, in plants, and debris to block the sun.

Distinguishing Features:The Western Black Widow spider looks like others; it is black with a red hourglass on its underside. Its silk is very strong, reaching 100 MPa. Steel reaches 800 MPa, which is a big deal.

Why You Should Be Scared:Males are small and do not harm humans. The female, however, is dangerous. Female bites need medical treatment, and serious cases sometimes require hospitalization. Old writings suggest the species lethality is 0.5% to 12%, but this fact is not confirmed.

Species: Latrodectus elegans

Size:Up to 9.53mm long.

Location: L. elegansThis spider exists in India, Myanmar, China, and Japan. Scientists first found it in the late 19th century. They collected it in the Carin Cheba mountains in Myanmar, Thailand.

Distinguishing Features: L. elegansThis spider is mostly black. It has a unique mark on its back abdomen: three stripes with two rear red stripes connected by a perpendicular stripe. It has a red mark on its underside that looks like a large "U" with a dot at the base, not exactly an hourglass.

Why You Should Be Scared:They have venom with the same toxicity as other members of the genus. This venom causes serious pain at the bite site.

Species: Latrodectus mactans

Size:4 to 13mm long.

Location:The Southern Black Widow lives mostly in the southeastern United States. It spreads west to Texas and north to Ohio. It sometimes overlaps with L. variolus.L. variolusSouthern Black Widow and other spiders look alike, so people often mix them up.

Distinguishing Features:Unlike the L. variolus, the L. mactansThe hourglass connects just like other species in the genus. They stay black with a bright red hourglass, though they might have other markings on their backs.

Why You Should Be Scared:Males are tiny and harmless compared to females, a trait common in all species in the genus and family. Female bites can cause death, but this happens only in rare cases. Usually, a bite causes intense pain through latrodectism, leading to severe pain and redness at the bite spot. Passings have been recorded, but they do not happen to healthy adults.

Species: Latrodectus lilianae

Size:12 - 16mm long.

Location:These spiders live mainly in the steppes of the Iberian Peninsula and rarely live near people.

Distinguishing Features: L. lilianaeis black and shows small, white, and orange markings on its abdomen.

Why You Should Be Scared:They carry venom like other members of the genus. Because they prefer places humans avoid, the full effects of its venom remain unknown. Still, they have enough venom to potentially kill in rare situations.

Species: Latrodectus umbukwane

Size:Up to 31.9mm long, making it the biggest Widow spider.

Location:Phinda Button spiders exist in the Phinda Private Game Reserve, where they get their name, plus in the sand forest areas of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Distinguishing Features: L. umbukwaneis one of six button spider species. They are black and have red markings on the top and bottom of their abdomen. A thin yellow or white outline often surrounds them. Males are smaller and mostly brown with cream spots on their abdomens. Scientists found this species in 2014 and described it in 2019. The spiders are notable for their size, and their eggs are bright purple in color.

Why You Should Be Scared:Scientists have not fully studied envenomation as of 2020. However, the Phinda Button spider's venom toxicity matches other species in the genus. Because of its size, a bite likely injects more venom than others, but the full effects beyond probable pain are not understood.

Species: Latrodectus renivulvatus

Size:4 - 11mm long.

Location:The Black Button spider lives in southern Africa, but it can also be found in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

Distinguishing Features:Bodies and legs are mostly black. However, the abdomen can have red stripes wrapping in a unique pattern. There is no hourglass pattern on the underside.

Why You Should Be Scared:A Black Button spider bite often causes painful burning at the bite site, especially on the limbs. Severe reactions happen; seek medical help. Antivenom exists, but give it fast because the venom stays active up to a week.

Species: Latrodectus geometricus

Size:These spiders measure 6 to 8mm in length.

Location:Though thought to come from South Africa, this spider arrived in South America, Australia, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and many other spots.

Distinguishing Features:Brown Widow spiders lack black coloring like their relatives. Instead, they show brown and tan mottling across their bodies. The back has a long stripe down the abdomen and three diagonal stripes on each side. They have an hourglass mark, but it is orange, not red like others in the genus.

You should fear these spiders.Bites from a Brown Widow spider cause less toxicity than those from darker types. The venom toxicity is nearly the same; the difference comes from the amount of venom injected. Their bites are not as serious as other species; they usually leave a painful, swollen red mark. Hospitals report these cases, but they happen less often than bites from other Widow spiders.

Species: Latrodectus variolus

Size:These spiders measure 4 to 11mm in length.

Location:The Northern Black Widow lives as far north as Ontario and Quebec. It shows up in most northeastern states, with Virginia being the farthest south.

Distinguishing Features:Unlike its southern cousin, the Northern Black Widow has a broken red hourglass, appearing as two spots on the underside. The Northern Black Widow is mostly black, but its legs often show red markings. Both males and females have red and/or white markings on their backs.

You should fear these spiders.Bites cause latrodectism, showing as local redness and intense pain. Bites do not kill adults, but they cause serious problems in babies. Even then, multiple bites from different spiders are needed for a fatal venom dose.

Species: Latrodectus katipo

Size:Up to eight millimeters long.

Location:Katipō exist only in New Zealand. They are the only native venomous spider there. They are listed as being in "Serious Decline" and face extinction.

Distinguishing Features:Katipō are black. They have a unique stripe on their backs that can be red, yellow, or cream. Markings only appear on females. Males are all white with black stripes and diamond shapes.

You should fear these spiders:Katipō bites are rare. They cause latrodectism, which makes a painful, red area at the bite site. Severe bites can cause high blood pressure, seizures, or coma. No deaths have been reported since 1901. Children can still get bitten.

Species: Latrodectus bishopi

Size:Up to 12.7mm long.

Location:Red Widow spiders live only in Florida. They usually inhabit and surround sand dunes with sand pines. These spiders exist in the central and southern parts of the Sunshine State. Their range islimitedtheir food limits them to five types of scarab beetles found in Florida scrub areas.

Distinguishing Features:The Red Widow spider has a black abdomen with red spots. The rest of its body, head, and legs are vermillion red.

Why You Should Be Scared:Red Widow spiders are active at night. They usually only bite humans if you disturb them. They share venom with other species in the genus and pose a similar danger, though they rarely kill people.

Species: Latrodectus tredecimguttatus

Size:7 to 15mm long.

Location:The Mediterranean Black Widow exists across the Mediterranean region. It stretches from southern Iberia to central Asia.

Distinguishing Features:The body is black. It differs from most Widow species because it has 13 yellow or orange spots. The species name, tredecimguttatusis Latin for "with thirteen spots."

Why You Should Be Scared:Like other Widow spiders, a bite rarely kills adults. That does not mean they are not dangerous.In 2004, camel-breeders in Kazakhstan reported bites among their herds. Many camels died. The local village had no antivenom, so the camels died soon after being bitten., camel-breeders in Kazakhstan reported bites among their herds, and many were slain. The local village lacked any antivenom, and as a result, the camels perished soon after being bitten.