Brown widows can vary in color intensity and pattern ranging from light tan to dark brown. There may be a red broken stripe or a series of white spots along the top of the abdomen with parallel rows of black spots on either side of the stripe. The brown color can be very dark, almost black. There is an orange hour glass mark on the underside of the abdomen in both females and males. The cephalothorax (head) is usually dark brown. Legs are usually tan and black banded.
The messy appearing brown widow web can be found around buildings and in gardens. Plastic lawn chairs are very popular with brown widows as are plastic flower pots with curved edges. Several widows have also been found with egg sacs in bird-of-paradise plant leaves. In general they can be found anywhere there are possible sheltered spaces for retreats.
According to arachnologist Dr. G.B. Edwards, in Gainesville, Florida, the venom of brown widows is twice as potent as that of black widows but the effects tend to more localized than a black widow as less venom is injected. The main symptom is severe local pain. The spider is not very aggressive, does not defend its web, and bites are not common.
SDNHM