Brown Widow Spider

The brown widow is a widely distributed Latrodectus species believed to have originated in Africa and now established in warm regions around the world, including the southern United States. Unlike the deep black of its relatives, this spider has a mottled brown, tan, and gray pattern across its bulbous abdomen, often with a faint geometric design on top, and an orange to yellowish hourglass marking on the underside.

Brown widows have adapted well to human environments, commonly setting up their tangled webs in sheltered urban and suburban spots such as under patio furniture, in empty planters, behind shutters, and inside mailboxes or storage bins. One of the easiest ways to identify this species is by its egg sac, which is distinctively spiky or tufted and off-white in color, unlike the smooth, round sacs of other widow species.

This spider is generally considered timid, tending to flee or drop from its web rather than remain in place when disturbed, and it feeds on a variety of small insects that become trapped in its snare.

• Adult female: mottled tan, brown, and gray abdomen, sometimes with a faint geometric or hourglass pattern on top
• Orange to yellow hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen
• Legs often show faint banding compared to the solid black legs of other widows
• Egg sac: distinctive spiky, spiny, off-white ball, unlike the smooth sacs of other widows
• Lookalikes: other Latrodectus species (darker, smooth egg sacs), false widow spiders (Steatoda, lack orange hourglass)

Found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including much of the southeastern and southern United States, coastal California, Hawaii, and many parts of the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia. It thrives around buildings and landscaped areas, favoring small, enclosed voids such as under eaves, in patio furniture, mailboxes, empty containers, and low shrubs.

The brown widow spins a small, irregular tangle web, typically less extensive than that of other widow species, usually tucked into a tight, sheltered space. It is nocturnal, resting in a silk retreat by day and becoming active at night to capture prey vibrating in its web. Considered less bold than some other widow species, it often drops from its web or retreats rather than staying near a disturbance. Its diet consists of small flying and crawling insects, including flies, moths, and beetles.

Females produce numerous distinctively spiky, tan-white egg sacs over their lifetime, often several in succession, each containing many eggs. Spiderlings emerge and disperse by ballooning on silk. They undergo several juvenile molts before reaching adulthood, with females growing considerably larger than the diminutive males. In warm climates, brown widows can breed and be active year-round, contributing to their rapid spread in tropical and subtropical regions.