2016 January 12

   Ren Ferguson writes from Salt Spring Island:  On January 7, 2016 I was looking around the seeps in Channel Ridge on Salt Spring Island. There was a large rock with a bowl shape to it that had a thick carpet of moss inside the bowl. My pals and I were interested in the rock and we gently lifted the moss to see under it. It lifted easily and I was surprised to find a spider that looked like a Western Black Widow hanging out with pill bugs.  I turned the spider over and the hour glass marking was plain to see, although it was more of a light orange colour than the usual red. I thought I would send in this report mainly because of the location of this spider. I have found them before but mostly on dry beach sites amongst logs and debris. Included is a photo of the spider on her back with her legs curled up in a defensive posture. Not a great image and the hour glass is overexposed so it looks almost white. Any comments on this find would be welcome as I don’t know much about the habits of these spiders.
 
   Robb Bennett writes:  Yes, the specimen appears to be a female Western Black Widow.  They are fairly common on Salt Spring – especially on open south-facing slopes such as the Garry Oak woodlands on Mount Maxwell.

Western Black Widow Latrodectus hesperus (Ara.:  Theridiidae)

Ren Ferguson