# aaAHHH, What kind of spider is this!? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 26, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359 "2010-10-26T00:12:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![K-MAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/838e76/32.png) [@K-MAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K-MAN)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/1 "2010-10-26T00:12:13Z")
:eek: I’m trying to figure out what type this spider is, which I just seen in my basement. I think its a _ **black widow** _…? If someone could tell me what type this spider is, that would be helpful!!! I’m located in the middle of South Dakota, I’m not sure if black widows are known here. The spider is about half an inch large - or I should say was… (Links to the photos) [![](https://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv85/00KMAN/Spider/Spider_01.jpg) ](https://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv85/00KMAN/Spider/Spider_01.jpg) & [![](https://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv85/00KMAN/Spider/Spider_02.jpg) ](https://i672.photobucket.com/albums/vv85/00KMAN/Spider/Spider_02.jpg) _Thanks for the help!_ ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/2 "2010-10-26T00:52:13Z")
A bottom view would be helpful. It looks like a female Widow to me. ---
**Author:** ![Grateful-UnDead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ccd318/32.png) [@Grateful-UnDead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grateful-UnDead)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/3 "2010-10-26T01:11:41Z")
Looks very much like a female Black Widow; definitive proof would be if it has a red streak on the under side of the belly. Also, if you were to poke it with a stick, if it curls up and plays dead, this is also suggestive of a Black Widow. Having said that, what it the problem here? I have all kinds of Black Widows living in my garden and basement; I don’t bother them, and they don’t bother me. And they eat a lot of bugs. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/4 "2010-10-26T01:23:50Z")
I’m no expert, but I don’t think it’s a black widow. The legs don’t look right to me. Of course the hourglass marking is the giveaway…I’m sure someone will be along shortly with a definitive ID. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/5 "2010-10-26T01:54:57Z")
The shape is right but the color looks off. All the black widows I’ve seen in person are a glossy blackest black you can imagine and that one looks brownish. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/6 "2010-10-26T01:59:27Z")
> [@Grateful-UnDead](#): > > Having said that, what it the problem here? I have all kinds of Black Widows living in my garden and basement; I don’t bother them, and they don’t bother me. And they eat a lot of bugs. Amen, Brother. Everyone is just trying to make a living. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/7 "2010-10-26T02:05:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > A bottom view would be helpful. > It looks like a female Widow to me. It “could” be a black widow, it looks similar. YOur photo does not rule it out. However, there are lots of spiders that look similar. We need to see the red hourglass mark on the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/8 "2010-10-26T02:27:10Z")
Flip her over with a yardstick, Dude. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/9 "2010-10-26T02:40:59Z")
If you find a spiky eggcase in her lair, it could be a brown widow. We have lots of those around here. ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/10 "2010-10-26T12:12:56Z")
Normally, you can see the red markings on the underside of a black widow, as they have a habit of hanging in the middle of their webs upside down. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/11 "2010-10-26T12:15:36Z")
> [@Grateful-UnDead](#): > > Also, if you were to poke it with a stick, if it curls up and plays dead, this is also suggestive of a Black Widow. I find that if you poke any spider hard enough, it’ll curl up and “play dead”. Sometimes it takes multiple pokes (or, as I call 'em, “whacks”)… but this is Science, man. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/12 "2010-10-26T12:33:14Z")
> [@Sue\_Duhnym](#): > > The shape is right but the color looks off. All the black widows I’ve seen in person are a glossy blackest black you can imagine and that one looks brownish. Yeah, definitely concur the color isn’t right – true black widows an absolute jet black. I’d go so far as to say the shape _is_ a little bit off; the abdomen looks a little “bulgy” to me. Widows typically have a very rounded abdomen that tapers a bit at the end like a wasp’s, as if it has a stinger (it doesn’t). Also the legs look a little bit too fat…widows have very slender legs. ---
**Author:** ![K-MAN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/838e76/32.png) [@K-MAN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K-MAN)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/13 "2010-10-26T13:04:46Z")
> [@Grateful-UnDead](#): > > Looks very much like a female Black Widow; definitive proof would be if it has a red streak on the under side of the belly. > > Also, if you were to poke it with a stick, if it curls up and plays dead, this is also suggestive of a Black Widow. > > Having said that, what it the problem here? I have all kinds of Black Widows living in my garden and basement; I don’t bother them, and they don’t bother me. And they eat a lot of bugs. Yup, I did actually poke it with a stick, and it tucked in the legs and played dead, just like you said. Crap, I was hoping I was wrong about the spider! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/14 "2010-10-26T13:14:07Z")
I remember when I saw my first Black Widow when I moved to southern California. I totally freaked out about it (it was in my garage). The locals kindly explained to me that you don’t need to worry about Black Widows because if they bite you it will hurt really bad, and so you would know to go to the hospital. It was those Brown Recluses you had to worry about, since then you would not know if you had been bitten until chucks of your skin start falling off… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/15 "2010-10-26T13:41:16Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Flip her over with a yardstick, Dude. 🙂 Or better yet, a meterstick. 'Cause then you can do it from several inches farther away. Hey, is there such a thing as a ‘milestick’? 'Cause that would be pretty damn handy for tasks like this. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/16 "2010-10-26T13:55:48Z")
Looks like widow spider, but remember, not all widow spiders are “Black Widows”. Widow spiders are spiders in the genus _Latrodectus_. There are several species in the USA that are called “Black widows”: _L. mactans_, _L. hesperus_ and _L. variolus_ (the southern, western and northern black widows, respectively). The genus _Latrodectus_ is reasonably large. There are about a dozen or so species of _Latrodectus_ in North America, and lots more in Europe, Asia, Africa and Austrailia. They can be black, gray, red or brown. And remember, don;t freak out about black widows. They are quite timid animals, and will bite only as a last resort - they will try like hell not to bite but to get away. They eat pests. They’re the good guys. Leave them alone 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/17 "2010-10-26T14:04:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Flip her over with a yardstick, Dude. 🙂 I wouldn’t flip her with _your_ yardstick! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/18 "2010-10-26T18:31:32Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > I remember when I saw my first Black Widow when I moved to southern California. I totally freaked out about it (it was in my garage). > > The locals kindly explained to me that you don’t need to worry about Black Widows because if they bite you it will hurt really bad, and so you would know to go to the hospital. It was those Brown Recluses you had to worry about, since then you would not know if you had been bitten until chucks of your skin start falling off… Strange, in my experience, when a widow bites it’s often under appreciated until the systemic effects set in, and the population of brown recluses in southern California is made of almost entirely of whole cloth. Now for the OP, I’ll take what is Steatoda, the false widow for 500$, Alex. > **[Steatoda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_widow_spider)** > > See text. > The spider genus Steatoda, in the family Theridiidae, includes about 120 recognized species, distributed around the world (including many cosmopolitan species which are found among human populations worldwide). One common name is cupboard spider, for many species build their webs in dark, sheltered, undisturbed places around the house or garden, in sheds and garages, under garden, in compost bins, and cupboards. Signs of a Steatoda spider include a messy, tangled web with small white... ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/19 "2010-10-26T20:06:36Z")
> [@outlierrn](#): > > Strange, in my experience, when a widow bites it’s often under appreciated until the systemic effects set in, and the population of brown recluses in southern California is made of almost entirely of whole cloth. I have given up trying to convince people out here on the west coast that they / their friend / their aunt was bitten by a brown recluse. I provide cites showing that there are NO brown recluse spider habitats anywhere west of El Paso, that over 80% of brown recluse bites are misdiagnosed, that it was probably Staph, etc. They don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359/20 "2010-10-26T23:33:21Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > Or better yet, a meterstick. 'Cause then you can do it from several inches farther away. > > Hey, is there such a thing as a ‘milestick’? 'Cause that would be pretty damn handy for tasks like this. yet another use for them Petrol dipping sticks at the gas station. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aaahhh-what-kind-of-spider-is-this/558359.md?page=2)