[Spiders of the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington]

Black Widow

Lactrodectus hesperus

Female Black Widow: Lactrodectus hesperus

Close-up of a female black widow which was nesting under a rock on the steep slopes of Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Area of south-central Washington................May 8, 2009.

Abdomen of female Black Widow: Lactrodectus hesperus

Close-up of the distinctive red hourglass or X markings on the abdomen of a female black widow which was nesting under a rock on the steep slopes of Canyon Creek in the Klickitat State Wildlife Area of south-central Washington................May 8, 2009.

Black Widow: Lactrodectus hesperus

A black widow crawlng across the ground along Eightmile Creek near where the road climbs towards the old dump, Columbia Hills State Park............October 12, 2013.

Paul Slichter