Southern Black Widow
Latrodectus mactans
The southern black widow is native to North America and introduced elsewhere. Adult females are glossy black with a rounded abdomen and a red hourglass on the underside; males are smaller and less uniformly dark. Its venom is medically significant. Keeping requires specialist experience, secure containment and careful enclosure maintenance without handling. Provide sheltered sites and anchors for its irregular capture web, with appropriate insect prey. Females lay eggs in silk sacs and guard them in the web.
Colors: Wild Type
