Northern Black Widow Latrodectus variolus by Nick Scobel
Last month I shared a pic of a non-poisonous spider, so I figured it was probably a good time to tell you about one of Michigan’s two venomous spiders. MSU Extension shares that the northern black widow spider (Latrodectus variolus) is found throughout the eastern US all the way to east Texas:
In Michigan, they appear to be more common in the western Lower Peninsula. Outdoors, they are found in old stumps, hollow logs, under fallen fence posts, in abandoned animal burrows or piles of brush, and in the corners of sheds and crawlspaces. In the northern black widow, the distinctive hour glass marking on the underside of the abdomen is incomplete or split in the middle. Northern widows also have a series of red spots along the dorsal midline of the abdomen, and many have a series of lateral white stripes on the abdomen. The web of the black widow is an irregular mesh of strands in which the spider hangs in an inverted position.
Surprisingly, as common as this spider is, black widow bites are infrequent because the spider is actually very timid and prefers fleeing when disturbed. That’s a good thing because the venom of a widow spider is 15 times more toxic than that of rattlesnakes. However, due to the small amount of the venom injected into the bite, widow bites are far less serious.
Nick is a longtime Michigan in Pictures contributor with detailed information & pics about Michigan reptiles & amphibians. He got this shot of a gravid female in Manistee County back in 2014. See his latest on Flickr or @swamprattler on Instagram!
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