Black widows are notorious spiders identified by the colored, hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomens. Latrodectus spp. When a Black Widow male is mature, he spins a sperm web, deposits semen on it and charges his palpi with the sperm. ... with shiny black bodies and a red hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of their round abdomen ... A black widow spider spinning egg case silk. Several species answer to the name, and they are found in … Male and female black widows look different. Male widows may be either completely black or maintain some of the immature coloration. Did you know that only female black widows have the red hour glass figure on their bodies? Though members of the Latrodectus genus are known to be harmful, the Western widow spider (especially the males) are not poisonous and does not show aggression, having fewer chances of biting unless provoked or agitated. Male black widows frequently have yellow and red bands and spots over their backs, as do both sexes of black widows in their immature stages. # Males about half the female's size, with smaller bodies, and longer legs # Males usually have yellow and red bands and spots over the back as do the immature stages. Jumping spiders are sometimes mistaken to be black widows because of the red or orange dot on their back. Additionally, female black widows will have shiny, hairless black bodies, and males are marked with brown and white. Did you know that only female black widows have the red hour glass figure on their bodies? The females will get the red hourglass when they reach maturity. To identify a black widow, look for traits commonly found on black widows, like a bright red marking that resembles an hourglass on the spider’s round belly, which are found on female spiders. Black widows are notorious spiders identified by the colored, hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomens. Male black widows can be grey or black, and sometimes have a series of red dots on their abdomen. Appearance What do they look like? Female black widow spiders are approximately 1 inch long and have an hourglass shape. Black widow spiders are typically black with two reddish triangular markings usually joined to form a reddish hourglass shape down its back – their most recognized feature. Most are brown, very small, and have a more tubular shaped body with a small red or yellow dot on their undersides in place of the hourglass. The juveniles and males are harmless, only the adult female has venom. Females take longer to reach maturity and molt more times than males, resulting in darker, shinier coloration.