What Is a Black & Red Spider?

Widows

• Widows are the most famous black and red spiders and also the most venomous. They are found in warm climates around the world near human habitation. The female black widow has a shiny black body and (in the United States) a red hourglass on the underside of her abdomen. The abdomen of her northern Mediterranean relative, the malmignatte, is black with red stripes. The northern widow is black with a broken red hourglass on her abdomen. Her habitat ranges from northern Florida to southern Canada.
  
  

Phidippis

• Phidippus, or jumping, spiders are common in North America and Europe. They can be found in vegetation, under stones and sometimes inside houses. People sometimes keep them as pets because they are lively and have good appetites. The redbacked jumping spider (Phidippus johnsoni) is one half inch long and has a fuzzy black body with a short, flattened abdomen (the top part of which is red). It is found in the Rocky Mountains. Another type of jumping spider, Phidippus apacheanus, also lives in the Rocky Mountains. This .4-inch spider is black and fuzzy, with a red thorax and abdomen.
  
  

Eresids

• There are approximately 100 species of eresids. They can be found in Eurasia and Africa but not in the Americas. They look like tarantulas and live under stones (sometimes in colonies) at the end of silken tubes from which their webs extend. Some of the males are brightly colored. Eresus niger of Northern Africa has a furry, black body. It is half an inch long and its four back legs are banded with black, red and white. Its body is black and the top of its abdomen is red, spotted with four black spots edged in white.
  
  

Tarantulas

• Tarantulas live alone in the desert basins, mountain foothills and forested slopes of the Southwest. They often live in burrows or crevices lined with silk, with silk welcoming mats at the entrances. If potential prey walks over one of these mats, vibrations are transmitted to the spider in its burrow. A female tarantula can live up to 30 years in the wild, although the males live only a few years. A tarantula can measure up to 4.75 inches long, have an 11-inch leg span and weigh from one to three ounces. They usually hunt insects but sometimes eat toads, frogs and mice. One type of tarantula, the South American bird-eating spider, can even eat birds. Another variety, the Mexican red leg tarantula, has a black body with reddish legs and a reddish thorax. It has a five- to six-inch leg span and is a popular pet.