1964] 
McCrone and Levi — Latrodectus 
15 
live animal. Total length 6.5 mm. Carapace 2.9 mm long, 2.6 mm 
wide. First femur, 6.7 mm; patella and tibia, 6.9 mm; metatarsus, 
7.0 mm; tarsus, 2.0 mm. Second patella and tibia, 4.2 mm; third, 
3.0 mm; fourth, 5.6 mm. 
Distribution. Southern Canada, United States, northern Florida, 
Texas to central California (records of L. curacaviensis , — Levi, 
1958 except those of central and southern Florida). 
Latrodectus bishopi Kaston (Red Widow) 
Figures 2, 4-7, 21-22 
Latrodectus mactans var. bishopi Kaston, 1938, p. 60. Male holotype from 
Lake Worth, Florida, in the American Museum of Natural History, 
examined. 
Latrodectus curacaviensis, — Levi, 1959, p. 38 (in part, central and southern 
Florida records, not L. curacaviensis Muller). 
Description. Specimens from 18 km (11 mi.) south of Lake Placid, 
Highlands Co., Florida: Female. Carapace orange with dark rings 
around eyes. Sternum, legs orange. Abdomen black without any 
marks, or with median red dorsal spots, or red spots surrounded by a 
yellow border. Total length 8.5 mm. Carapace 3.4 mm long, 2.5 
mm wide. First femur, 6.9 mm ; patella and tibia, 6.9 mm ; metatarsus, 
6.8 mm ; tarsus, 2.3 mm. Second patella and tibia, 4.2 mm ; third, 
2.9 mm; fourth, 5.5 mm. 
Male: Carapace, sternum, legs, orange. Abdomen black, with a 
variable number of spots. Usually two to three median dorsal red 
spots in a longitudinal line and some light marks on the side. Line 
above spinnerets absent and venter black or with spots. Total length 
4.2 mm. Carapace 2.1 mm long, 1.7 mm wide. First femur, 5.5 mm; 
patella and tibia, 5.9 mm; metatarsus, 5.9 mm; tarsus, 1.4 mm. 
Second patella and tibia, 3.5 mm; third, 2.2 mm; fourth, 4.4 mm. 
Distribution. Central and southern Florida, in sand-pine scrub. 
(Central and southern Florida records of L. curacaviensis, — Levi, 
1959 ). 
Diagnosis 
Latrodectus curacaviensis, L. variolas and L. bishopi differ from 
L. mactans by their genitalic structure: L. mactans has one more loop 
in the embolus of the palpus and one more loop in the connecting 
ducts of the internal female genitalia. All specimens of L. mactans 
from the eastern and southern United States have an hour-glass mark 
on the venter (Fig. 26) with the exception of some from southern 
Texas and Mexico. Latrodectus variolus usually has two transverse 
