Latrodectus hesperus

Casern, M. L., Tran, L. P. P., and Moore, A. M. F. (2002). Ultrastructure of the major ampullate gland of the black widow spider, Latrodectus hesperus. Tissue Cell 34, 427-436. 

Latrodectus hesperus s Silk of both sexes change behavior in the opposite sex Ross and Smith, 1979... 

Ross, K. and Smith, R. L. (1979). Aspects of the courtship behavior of the black widow spider Latrodectus hesperus (Araneae Theridiidae), with evidence for the existence of a contact sex pheromone. Journal of Arachnology 7 69-77. 

Latrodectus Hesperus derlings release long silken strands which they use like a parachute to ride the wind to other areas and scatter. Adult growth requires two to three months, and older females die in fall after egg laying. 

Latrodectus Hesperus Common Names Western Black Widow... 

Gould, S. A., Tran, K. T., Spagna, J. C., Moore, A. M., and Shulman, J. B. 1999. Short and long range order of the morphology of silk from Latrodectus hesperus (black widow, as characterized by atomic force microscopy, Int J Biol Macromol 24,151-157. 

Blackledge, T.A., Swindeman, J.E., and Hayashi, C.Y. (2005) Quasistatic and continuous dynamic characterization of the mechanical properties of silk from the cobweb of the black widow spider Latrodectus hesperus. Journal of Experimental Biology, 208, 1937-1949. 

Latrodectus mactans (black widow spider) arx] L. hesperus... 

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