Yikes! Look at those arms!

"I once webbed a butterfly that was thhiiiis big!"

Honestly, I think that little guy (oops, girl) looks awesome. But then again I'm all for any and every insect and arachnid.

Oh my goodness, I'd have been running away from that! Our son got bitten by either that or a brown recluse (he didn't actually know he was bitten until his leg was swelling up) a couple years ago and came pretty close to losing his leg. He had a big hole in his leg for awhile. He's had a hatred for spiders ever since. I certainly would keep my distance from something like that! I hope you're careful when you're outside.
Cathy

Eeeekkk!

Red hour glass ... sorta mimics a black widow which I have many of in my garden.

@caterwallin: "Big hole in the leg" sounds more like Brown Recluse -- or a staph infection.

@Sherry: great pic. I've not seen them with red legs before; I wonder if it's a different species from Latrodectus mactans.

Jeff

I've been wondering about that myself, Jeff. I've only seen one other black widow spider in my life, and it had the round body that you see in pictures, plus black legs - this one has red legs and a rectangular shaped body. I have no idea what else it could be, though - I don't know much about spiders.
Sherry

It's definitely a black widow. I'm surprised living in the deep south that you've only seen two in your lifetime. It is unusual for it to be in a tree though. They are usually seen in cool, damp, dark places like under the rim of a flowerpot and they especially love brick that are stored on the ground. Another favorite place is in a pile of leaves that have been left for a while. Butterflutter

Butterflutter - I haven't seen one in several years; last time I remember it was either in the woods or living in a brick that was stored on our garage floor. And I'll remember the pile of leaves...didn't know black widows liked that.

Whoa; as much as I love spiders, I'd have a heart attack if I came across that one!

I don't believe it's a black widow. Head is too large and BW have bulbous black bodies. Usually found under wood debris or in dark hidden areas.

My BIL is an entomologist, I'll ask him to ID it. I'm really curious.

Nope, not a black widow. Legs are too long. He's taking the picture to one of his friends at Berekely. I'll let you know next week.

Thanks, Edna!
It's still on the redbay bush in the same spot. I haven't found any more palamedes swallowtail eggs (or cats) on that bush, so I think they're avoiding it, whatever it is!
Sherry

Did you know there are different kinds of widow spiders and their colors can vary? One website I came across said they go through different instars and their markings change as they do. Brown Widows can have banded legs. Was it black or brown? Either way, I sure wouldn't handle it.

The link below has some good photos and info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Widow Spiders

This link shows a Brown Widow going through color changes until it's nearly black. I think you might have a dark colored Brown Widow with banded legs (my very unprofessional opinion). : )

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Wildlife - Brown Widow Spider (latrodectus geometricus

pretty sure its black widow, and can be deadly too. be careful !!

My first thought was Black Widow, but I seem to remember there is a BW look-alike, though I cannot seem to find info on it. I've looked for about 20 minutes and to tell you the truth, I am getting waaay too creeped out to continue. I'm in bed, and if I keep looking I will be imagining them crawling on me and I will NEVER be able to fall asleep. (I've got insomnia as it is...). Anyhow, I found this link where you could upload your pic and they will help you identify it. I'm sure it would be helpful to give geographical information.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ask What's That But at whatsthatbug.com

I LOVE WhatsThatBug. Best site on the web for crawling critters.

Sounds like your guy may be a male L. mactans??

Yeep! Gives me the creepies either way. Watch out for his girlfriend!

Here is a link that might be useful: WhatsThatBug black widow pages

Thanks, y'all!
I filled out the information on What's That Bug and bookmarked the page for future use. You can't imagine how many strange bugs I run into here! I'll make a contribution to What's That Bug if I continue to use it.
Sherry

Since I've already corrupted the Butterfly Forum by posting one spider picture, I'll post another one.
The other day when I was mowing, I checked out the American lady nest on some cudweed before I mowed too close. There was a little dead cat inside, and the crab spider that had apparently done the evil deed was just to the right of it, seemingly very happy about the whole thing - the picture is blurry, because I was all sweaty and nasty had to pull the camera out of my pocket quickly -
{{gwi:462617}}
Weird, huh?
Sherry

That is a creepy little face on the crab spider! Sherry, have you gotten a positive ID on the red and black spider yet?

Pam

No, Pam, I haven't heard from What's That Bug about it.
She's not on the redbay bush anymore. She probably got tired of waiting for butterflies that never came - 'looks like butterflies have at least some ability to discern predators.
Sherry