(Photo credit: iStock/Getty Images) The southern black widow. This spider has a shiny, black, globe-shaped belly (abdomen). You’ll know it by the red hourglass mark on the underside. The ...

Black widow spiders, or Latrodectus mactans, are a type of venomous spider species known for their shiny black torsos and the ...

The Southern black widow is predominantly found in the southeastern U.S. Females are shiny black with a distinctive red hourglass on the underside of the abdomen, although some may have red spots ...

Laura Schober is a writer and editor specializing in health, food, wellness, beauty, and lifestyle content. Laura is also a seasoned communications professional who has previously worked in the ...

A relative of the black widow, the brown widow has lighter-colored markings, pale legs with dark joints, and a yellow-orange hourglass marking on its abdomen. The bite is neuropathic like the ...

Conversely, males are brown and have red, white, and yellow spots and bands on their abdomen. A black widow's venom contains a neurotoxin that affects your nerve endings and muscles, leading to ...