Latrodectus
[lat″ro-dek´tus] Latrodectus mac´tans a species found in the United States; commonly known as the black widow. Its bite may cause severe symptoms or even death. (For first aid, see
spider bite.)
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.
La·tro·dec·tus mac·'tans
the black widow spider, a venomous jet-black spider found in protected dark places; it is especially common in the southern U.S.; the full-grown female (slightly more than 1 cm long) has a brilliant red dumbbell- or hourglass-shaped mark on the ventral aspect of the abdomen; her bite may be extremely painful, producing a syndrome mimicking an acute abdominal crisis; some deaths, though rare, have been reported, particularly in small children; the male spider lacks the hourglass mark and is not venomous.
Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
A venomous spider indigenous to North America—most bites occur in California, most commonly in summer. The black widow spider measures 13 mm in length with a leg spread of 40 mm; it bites with its anterior fangs and may be fatal in very young children and older adults
Management Supportive—topical cleansing, ice, aspirin, opiate analgesics, hot baths, mild sedation, bed rest; for muscle spasms, calcium gluconate, methocarbamol or phenadrine; for hypertensive crises, short-acting antihypertensives; antivenin-Lyovac may be indicated in some patientsSegen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.