Latrodectus hesperus

Uncommon card · No. 116999

Latrodectus hesperus, the western black widow spider or western widow, is a venomous spider species found in western regions of North America. The female's body is 14–16 mm (1/2 in) in length and is black, often with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the lower abdomen. This "hourglass" mark can be red, yellow, and on rare occasions, white. The male of the species is around half this length, and generally a beige color with lighter striping on the abdomen. The population was previously described as a subspecies of Latrodectus mactans, and it is closely related to the northern species Latrodectus variolus. The species, as with others of the genus, build irregular or tangled webs. Unlike the spiral webs or the funnel-shaped webs of some other spiders, the strands of a Latrodectus' web have no obvious overall organization. Female black widows have potent venom containing a neurotoxin (α-latrotoxin) active against a range of organisms. In humans, symptoms of this venom include pain, nausea, vomiting...

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