Latrodectus curacaviensis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Latrodectus curacaviensis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Latrodectus |
| Species: | L. curacaviensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Latrodectus curacaviensis (Müller, 1776)[1] | |
Latrodectus curacaviensis is a species of black widow spider, that belongs to the genus Latrodectus.[1] It is known as the South American black widow, Brazilian black widow or Araña del trigo.[2]
Like many black widow species, females are larger than males, growing up to 11–17 mm, with their body and legs black and red. Males are much smaller, known by their long legs, and white or brown color. Latrodectus curacaviensis is mainly nocturnal. It is not aggressive to humans, but females will attack to defend their egg sacs. It feeds on small insects.[2] They have a distinct hourglass mark with a black diamond shape and four red triangles in a square.
