Brown Widow

[xmasol]

I currently reside in Southern California *Have only lived here for a year and some change. I decided to house a Brown Widow sling. Well it’s become extremely black. Am I an idiot and this thing is about to molt or are black widow brown during the first few instars?

 

[The Snark]

What's you gots there be a L Hesperus that did it's maturity thing.

 

[Richard McJimsey]

Brown widows come in a variety of colors ranging from creme to nearly solid black. One way to check is to see if there are yellow spots near the spinnerets. Geometricus (brown widows) have them, hesperus (black widows) do not.

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[Edan bandoot]

Brown widows come in a variety of colors ranging from creme to nearly solid black. One way to check is to see if there are yellow spots near the spinnerets. Geometricus (brown widows) have them, hesperus (black widows) do not.

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I thought when people said brown widows they meant Steatoda, but I guess that's just another double meaning with common names

 

[darkness975]

I thought when people said brown widows they meant Steatoda, but I guess that's just another double meaning with common names

They're taking about Latrodectus geometricus. An invasive non native species that is out competing our native Latrodectus hesperus.

 

[Cecelias lair]

I thought when people said brown widows they meant Steatoda, but I guess that's just another double meaning with common names

I usually hear them being called false widow but never heard them being called brown widows before