The key difference between black widow and red back spider is that black widow spider has a shiny black in color body with a red or orange dot on top of its abdomen while red back spider has a glossy black body with a red stripe on the back.
Latrodectus is a genus of spiders. It has several species that are commonly known as true widows. The genus Latrodectus is composed of black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, and similar spiders. Black widow and red back spiders are extremely venomous spiders and are technically cousins. These two spiders can also coexist. However, these spiders have many differences.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Black Widow
3. What is Red Back Spider
4. Similarities – Black Widow and Red Back Spider
5. Black Widow vs. Red Back Spider in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Black Widow and Red Back Spider
7. Summary – Black Widow vs. Red Back Spider
What is Black Widow?
The black widow spider is a shiny black spider measuring 1.5 to 2 inches in length, with a red-orange dot on top of its abdomen. The females of this species have a trademark red hourglass underneath their abdomen. This spider is distributed worldwide and is mainly found in warmer climates and well-lit areas. Black widows primarily feed on insects, but they also consume diplopods, woodlice, chilopods, and other arachnids.
Figure 01: Black Widow
The black widow spider prefers dryness and hides beneath clutter or outdoor materials for extended periods. Furthermore, the black widow spider is reclusive and highly aggressive when guarding eggs or when surprised. Additionally, this spider is more likely to bite humans.
What is Red Back Spider?
The redback spider is approximately half an inch long, featuring a glossy body with a red stripe on its back. Females of this species have a trademark hourglass, while males exhibit a brown appearance. This spider is primarily observed in Australia, Asia, and Europe, particularly in populated areas. It constructs webs in undisturbed locations, including woodpiles and clutter. Redback spiders feed on a variety of small insects caught in their webs, as well as skinks, juvenile mice, snakes, and frogs. Additionally, redback spiderlings are known to consume their siblings.
Figure 02: Red Back Spider
The redback spider is aggressive with its prey, and females often consume males. In Japan, the redback spider hibernates, but populations in other regions do not. Furthermore, although the redback spider is extremely venomous, it is less likely to bite humans.
What are the Similarities Between Black Widow and Red Back Spider?
- Black widow and red-back spiders are extremely venomous spiders.
- Both spiders are technically cousins.
- They belong to the genus Latrodectus.
- Both these two spiders can also coexist.
What is the Difference Between Black Widow and Red Back Spider?
Black-widow has a shiny black in color body with a red or orange dot on top of its abdomen, while red-back spider has a glossy black body with a red stripe on the back. Thus, this is the key difference between black widow and red back spider. Furthermore, the black widow spider is 1 and a half to 2 inches long, while the redback spider is half an inch long.
The infographic below presents the differences between black widow and red back spider in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
FAQ: Black Widow and Red Back Spider
Is red widow poisonous?
Female red widow spider’s venom is a neurotoxin; hence, it is considered dangerous and harmful to people.
What is the deadliest spider?
The Sydney funnel-web spider is the most poisonous spider in the World.
What happens if bitten by a Redback Spider?
Redback spider bites can cause severe pain, sweating, vomiting, difficulty breathing, and muscle twitching. In addition, these spider bites can be life-threatening.
Summary – Black Widow vs. Red Back Spider
Black-widow and red-back spiders belong to the genus Latrodectus. Black-widow has a shiny black in color body with a red or orange dot on top of its abdomen. In contrast, the red-back spider has a glossy black body with a red stripe on the back. Furthermore, the black widow spider is distributed worldwide and found mainly in warmer climates and well-lit areas. On the other hand, the red-back spider is mainly observed in Australia, Asia, and Europe and is found in populated areas and builds its webs in undisturbed areas such as wood piles and clutter. So, this summarizes the difference between black widow and red back spider.
Reference:
1. “Redback.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.
2. Weisberger, Mindy, and Jessie Szalay. “Black Widow Spiders: Facts about This Infamous Group of Arachnids.” LiveScience, Purch.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Latrodectus hesperus Berkeley, California” By Ken-ichi Ueda – InNaturalist (CC BY 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Theridiidae – Redback Spider” By julie burgher (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED) via Flickr