The red widow has a black abdomen with a single flattened red triangle on the underside. On the back are rows of red spots, each of which are surrounded by a yellow circle. The head region and legs are red-orange in color. The red widow spider’s web begins as a typical tangle web in the interior of a small palm or palmetto, but then continues as a sheet of silk onto one of the lateral open leaves. Red widow spiders are endemic to Florida. It occurs in sandpine scrub from Marion County to Martin County. Because of both its rarity and its beautiful coloring, the red widow spider is a collector’s item for spider specimen collectors. Little is known of  its bite, but its venom is probably quite toxic to mammals.