Identification
The mature female western black widow
spider (Fig. 1) is about
/2-inch long, not
including the legs, and has a rounded
abdomen and very characteristic coloration.
She
is
shiny
jet
black
all
over
her
body
and
legs
except
for
a red
pattern
on
the
underside
of
the
abdomen,
which
looks,
in
perfect
specimens,
like
an
hourglass.
Some
specimens
have
a brownish
or
plum-colored
tinge,
but
usually
these
are
females
that
are
so
well
fed
the
black
N
1
pigment on the abdomen has expanded
until it looks brown instead of black.