Latrodectus tredecimguttatus
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| Mediterranean black widow | ||||||||||||||||
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 Female L. tredecimguttatus
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| Latrodectus tredecimguttatus Rossi, 1790 |
The spider Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, commonly known as the European or Mediterranean black widow, malmignatte spider, karakurt (Russian: каракурт) or steppe spider, is one of the widow spiders in the genus Latrodectus. This species is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region, ranging from Spain to southwest and central Asia. Specimens from central Asia are also known by the binomial name Latrodectus lugubris; today the karakurt is considered to be the same species of spider as that which plagued the farmers of Taranto. The name L. lugubris is considered obsolete, though it is still commonly found in the literature. Many consider this spider a Latrodectus mactans subspecies.
Even in Ancient Greece this spider was well known for its dangerous bite[citation needed].
L. tredecimguttatus is black in color, similar to most other widow species, and is identified by the thirteen spots which are found on its dorsal abdomen (the species name is Latin for "thirteen spots"). These spots are usually red in colour, but may also be yellow or orange. It is otherwise similar to other species in the genus Latrodectus. The Mediterranean widow primarily lives in steppes and other grasslands, and can be a significant problem in areas where grain is harvested by hand.
Like all Latrodectus species, L. tredecimguttatus has a bite which is venomous and can be (but rarely is) fatal to humans. The malmignatte is a significant medical problem in various parts of its range. In Herzegovina (the former Yugoslavia) this spider reportedly causes a large number of bites each autumn in field workers harvesting grain by hand.
In Kazakhstan, there are reports of this species biting and killing camels. [1]. It is now believed that this species is the cause of tarantism[citation needed], often falsely attributed to the wolf spider (Lycosa tarantula).
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