Are there black widow spiders in Florida?

More official answers for Florida

• Are there brown recluse spiders in Florida?

  Not established. UF/IFAS: no scientific evidence that any recluse spider is established in Florida; there have been occasional interceptions. UF/IFAS Extension

The 4 on Florida's list

Southern black widow

Latrodectus mactans

Venomous per UF/IFAS Extension

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What the sources say

Venom: “The only spiders native to or established in Florida with medically significant venom are the widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.).” (UF/IFAS Extension)

Brown widow

Latrodectus geometricus

Venomous per UF/IFAS Extension

Size

Adult female body about 8-12 mm (0.3-0.5 in); UC IPM gives about 3/8 in (10 mm), smaller than a mature western black widow. Clemson (2003) gives 1 to 1 1/2 in with legs extended. Males are tiny, 2-5 mm.

How to recognize it

• Spiky egg sac (covered in silk points, like a pollen grain or sandspur; about 10 mm per LSU AgCenter, 1/2 in per Clemson 2003) is diagnostic even without the spider
• Egg sac surface: blunt silken spikes, about 10 mm
• Egg sac described by UC IPM

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What the sources say

Venom: “The only spiders native to or established in Florida with medically significant venom are the widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.).” (UF/IFAS Extension)

Full Brown widow guide

Northern black widow

Latrodectus variolus

Venomous per UF/IFAS Extension

What the sources say

Venom: “The only spiders native to or established in Florida with medically significant venom are the widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.).” (UF/IFAS Extension)

Red widow

Latrodectus bishopi

Venomous per UF/IFAS Extension

What the sources say

Venom: “The only spiders native to or established in Florida with medically significant venom are the widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.).” (UF/IFAS Extension)

All spiders in the state: Florida spiders.

Where black widow spiders live in the US

Black widow spiders: identification, range and danger

What else it could be

• 

  False black widow

  Chocolate brown and never has red on the belly; slightly smaller than a mature western black widow (about 3/8 in body length); egg sac looks like a cotton ball with indistinct margins. Caution: UC IPM says a black widow's hourglass can be almost imperceptible or, rarely, completely absent, so a lack of red alone does not rule out a black widow.

• False black widow (Steatoda borealis)

  No red hourglass and not pure black; looks purplish-brown in bright light, and larger ones have a light T-shaped mark on the abdomen. Caution: a black widow's hourglass can rarely be almost or completely absent (UC IPM), so a lack of red alone does not rule out a black widow.

• 

  Brown widow

  Usually a mottled mix of tan, brown and gray, with a lengthwise stripe and diagonal side stripes; colour varies from almost white to almost black, and very dark ones are flat black rather than shiny black. Mature females are smaller than mature female western black widows (about 3/8 in body length). The egg sac is covered in silk bumps, like a very large pollen grain; UC IPM calls the egg sac a much surer way to confirm a brown widow. Caution: brown widows also have a red hourglass on the underside (UF/IFAS), and a mature brown widow looks very similar to an immature western black widow (UC IPM).

• 

  Common house spider

  Penn State Extension: the female common house spider is 5 to 6 mm long with a yellowish-brown carapace and a dirty-white to brown abdomen with gray chevrons; its legs are yellow with darker rings at the end of each segment.

• 

  Red widow

When spiders are seen in Florida

What official sources advise

• Blacktip sharks migrate south and into deeper coastal waters in winter; females give birth in shallow bays in spring and early summer. FWC

Other questions about Florida

• Are there scorpions?Yes
• Are there crocodiles?Yes
• Are there bears?Yes
• Are there rattlesnakes?Yes
• Are there copperheads?Yes, Panhandle only
• Are there pythons?Yes
• Are there coral snakes?Yes
• Are there coyotes?Yes