Brown Widow

latrodectus geometricus

The brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) is a highly adaptable, cosmopolitan arachnid closely related to the famous black widow. Originally believed to be native to Africa or South America, this resilient species has successfully established itself in urban and suburban environments throughout tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. While they possess potent neurotoxic venom, brown widows are generally shy and non-aggressive, preferring to retreat into their messy, tangled webs when disturbed rather than confront a threat. What truly sets the brown widow apart is its incredible reproductive rate and unique, spiky egg sacs, which look like tiny, pale yellow landmines. They play a significant role in local ecosystems by consuming a wide variety of pest insects, though they also pose ecological challenges in areas where they displace native spider species, including their native black widow cousins.

Lebensraum: Typically found in dark, dry, sheltered environments, often preferring artificial structures such as under outdoor patio furniture, inside recessed fence panels, and within garages or sheds.

Aussehen

Brown widows are medium-sized spiders featuring a mottled mix of tan, grey, and dark brown on their bulbous abdomens, accented by geometric patterns and white stripes. On their underside, they display a signature hourglass-shaped marking that is a bright orange or yellow color, rather than the crimson red of a black widow. Their long, slender legs are distinctly banded with dark brown and light tan stripes. Females measure up to sixteen millimeters in body length, while the tiny, inconspicuous males are barely half that size.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseArachnidaOrdnungAraneaeFamilieTheridiidaeGattungLatrodectus

Brown Widow

Kategorie

Invertebrate

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Although their venom is actually more toxic drop-for-drop than that of a black widow, brown widows are far less dangerous because they inject significantly less venom and are very hesitant to bite.

Brown widows often perform 'death feigning' or thanatosis when threatened, curling their legs tightly into a ball to appear dead and escape predator attention.

Unlike the smooth, round egg sacs of black widows, the brown widow constructs highly distinctive silk sacs covered in tiny, spiky silk projections, resembling tiny landmines.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Constructs highly distinctive silk egg sacs covered in tiny, spiky projections that serve as a physical deterrent against predators and parasitic wasps.

Weaves exceptionally strong, highly irregular tangled webs with sticky drop lines that easily snag heavy, crawling insects.

Exhibits thanatosis by curling up its legs and dropping to the ground to blend in with debris when a large threat is detected.

Maße und Details

Länge: 1-2 cm
Gewicht: 0.0001-0.0005 kg
Lebenserwartung: 1-2 Jahre
Gelegegröße: 50-150
Brutzeit: 14-30 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

Feeds primarily on flying and crawling insects caught in its tangled webs, including ants, beetles, and crickets.

Altersunterschiede: Spiderlings feed on tiny invertebrates like fruit flies, while mature adults tackle larger prey like beetles.

Hauptnahrung

Ants
Beetles
Flies
Crickets
Other spiders

Nahrungssuche

Ambush

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Blue Mud Dauber

Chalybion californicum

The blue mud dauber wasp paralyzes brown widow spiders to stock its nests for its developing larvae.

competitor

Argentine Ant

Linepithema humile

Argentine ants frequently compete for territory and can swarm and prey upon brown widow spiders, especially spiderlings and egg sacs.

competitor

Southern Black Widow

Latrodectus mactans

The brown widow often displaces the native southern black widow in urban habitats through competitive exclusion.

Merkmale

Für dieses Objekt sind noch keine Merkmal-Badges vergeben.

Auch bekannt als

Noch keine Alternativnamen vorhanden.

Sammlungen

Sammlungen für dieses Objekt erscheinen hier, wenn weitere Themen hinzugefügt werden.

Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Brown Widow?

Der einfachste Weg, Brown Widow zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Brown Widow?

1-2 cm

Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Brown Widow?

0.0001-0.0005 kg

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Brown Widow?

1-2 Jahre

Was frisst Brown Widow?

Feeds primarily on flying and crawling insects caught in its tangled webs, including ants, beetles, and crickets.

Wo findet man Brown Widow normalerweise?

Typically found in dark, dry, sheltered environments, often preferring artificial structures such as under outdoor patio furniture, inside recessed fence panels, and within garages or sheds.

Wie jagt Brown Widow?

Ambush

Was ist der/die/das gelegegröße von Brown Widow?

50-150