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Black Widow Spider (Poisonous) Black Widow Spider, common name for any of several related long-legged, smooth-body. Chiefly inhabiting the Tropics, but also common in the southern United States and found as far north as Canada. They spin irregular webs in crevices and other dark, protected spots. The fully grown female of the familiar North American species is about 1.2 cm (about 0.5 in) long and is jet black, with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen. Males are only about half as long and usually have four pairs of red dots along the sides of the abdomen. Males are rarely seen and are harmless. Contrary to popular belief, the female black widow spider does not kill her partner after mating. The female's bite, poisonous to humans, is followed by local pain and swelling, nausea, and difficulty in breathing and is sometimes fatal. The venom, a neurotoxin, generally affects children more severely than adults. The spider, however, is not aggressive and bites humans only defensively.
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