# The White Widow - Latrodectus pallidus



## Stormcrow (Jul 12, 2004)

I am not sure any pics have been shown here of this species, but this is a site containing a dozen pics of Latrodectus pallidus. Someone may have already posted the link, I don't know but fascinating nonetheless. Enjoy!

Fauna Laboratories, Ltd. - A331lTP Latrodectus pallidus
http://www.faunalabs.com/photos/a331ltp.html


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## Brian S (Jul 13, 2004)

Very interesting!! I have never heard of this species before. Where is it from?


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## Bothrops (Jul 13, 2004)

I think it´s from Madagascar...


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## Brian S (Jul 13, 2004)

I would like to have one. BTW do they have an hourglass on their abdomen?


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## conway (Jul 13, 2004)

humm,... im in the UK and ive seen a spider that looks just like that except its black it has them 4 dots on its abdomen, is this a common UK type house spider[this "black" one ive seen] because neither me or my family have seen these before... i tried to keep it but it died a few minutes later    lol


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## Cooper (Jul 13, 2004)

That is awesome, but O still think the red widow looks better


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## Stormcrow (Jul 13, 2004)

Some one correct me if I am wrong, I believe L.pallidus natural distribution is the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Europe?, and North Africa?. As much as I love Widow spiders a catalogue of definitive scientific information is difficult to come by. The three former locales are true but the two latter I am unsure of.

A very unusual spider, but I can't say it is truly beautiful. In fact, the coloration and dimples on her abdomen remind of a species of tick here in the states, engorged on blood. LoL!

Interesting but aesthetically-speaking I prefer the blacks, browns, reds, and corals far more. L.pallidus would however be an valuable addition to any collection.


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## Cooper (Jul 13, 2004)

Corals? I have never heard of this widow. Do you have any pics?


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## Malhavoc's (Jul 14, 2004)

I wish I had more money I want to try and get a complete set of lats


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## Wade (Jul 14, 2004)

The appearance of that spider gives an indication as to how African Latrodectus sp. came to be known as "button spiders".

Wade


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## Stormcrow (Jul 14, 2004)

Cooper, I was just abbreviating L.corallinus -- a black widow of whom specimens I have seen on have an abdomen with thick dorsal black and red bands across it's width. Much like a coral snake. 


Wade, hadn't occured to me until you said it. Nice observation.


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## jsloan (Jul 15, 2004)

Stormcrow said:
			
		

> Some one correct me if I am wrong, I believe L.pallidus natural distribution is the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Europe?, and North Africa?. As much as I love Widow spiders a catalogue of definitive scientific information is difficult to come by. The three former locales are true but the two latter I am unsure of.


I think you're right.  According to Platnick, _Latrodectus pallidus_  is found from "Cape Verde Is., Libya to Russia, Iran"


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## Stormcrow (Jul 15, 2004)

Yeah, I found a couple of sites about L.pallidus from Kazakhstan, formerly of the Soviet Union. I will see about digging those up. They even had a national postage stamp dedicated to the spider as shown on one of the Kazakhstan sites. So yes, it inhabits Asia, Middle East, and Mediterranean locales. More than one occassion Middle Eastern or Palestinian sites have spoken of a White Widow but never officially documented any pics or identified it's scientific designation.


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## woijchik89 (Jul 15, 2004)

DUH! It's so simple. If there was a black widow, there has to be a white widow. Otherwise they's just call it widow. or widow, who happens to be black. LoL

Koolness

~LaTeR~

-Ben


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## Splintercell (Aug 15, 2006)

*Latrodectus Pallidus*

Hello,

I have Latrodectus Pallidus spiders myself.
They are the most amasing spiders I have seen in the latrodectus family.
They have brown, yellowisch legs and head, and a complete white body
with 4 markings on it (littke brown dots, very little).
The hourglas marking is Yellow, brownisch, like seen on L. Geometricus spec.
The spider builds a real cool web. It has a retraet at the top and a sort
of platform in the middle of the web. When active, the spider sits(hangs)on this horizontal platform to hunt. From this platform there are hanging some few singel "ropes" who are under tension (via construction of the web)
and have some sticky residue at the endings
(close to the attachment of the rope on the ground)
When an criquet touches this sticky part, the trap will go of and lift the criquet into the air where it stays glued to the wire and is helpless, since
it can not touch the ground. Now, the L. Palidus comes and does here thing.
It is very shy. Sometimes, even when I just open the container each spider is in, they let themselve drop immidiatly.Also, it does not attack any pray.
Things that cant be liftet arn't attacked. (unless you let the pray fall into the net and the spider is hungry, ofcorse)
They live in Israel. Atleast, that is where my L. pallides spec. is from.
They prefer 28 to 35 degrees CELCIUS (not fahrenheit!!!) at day and about 20 degrees CELCIUS !!! at night. Of course they prefer shadow and darkness, like every Latrodectus. The bite is relatively harmless. A bit is less toxic than the L. geometricus; so... it's okay, but still very Painfull!!!  ;-)

I hope to have given you al some usefull information.
If you have questions, dont hasitate to ask.
Kind regards,  Tom from Belgium.


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