Is the male black widow poisonous?

Question

I would like to know if the male black widow spider is poisonous?

Answer 1

it is but it cant kill you.

Answer 2

well first of all, there's a BIG difference between poisonous and venomous.  They affect two COMPLETELY different body systems.  If it is poisonous then the poison will affect your digestive tract, or get absorbed through pores in your skin.  If it is venomous, then the animal but bite or sting you to INJECT the venom.  In theory (now, let's not try this at home kiddos) you could drink a lethal dose of rattlesnake venom, and since it was not injected into the bloodstream, not enough of it will reach your blood to kill you.  See, big difference.

and yes, the male black widow is venomous if it is fully mature.

Answer 3

Black widow spiders typically prey on a variety of insects, but occasionally they do feed upon woodlice, diplopods, chilopods and other arachnids.[4] When the prey is entangled by the web, L. mactans quickly comes out of its retreat, wraps the prey securely in its strong web, then stabs and envenomates its prey. The venom takes about ten minutes to take effect; in the mean time, the prey is held tightly by the spider. When movements of the prey cease, digestive enzymes are released into the wound. The black widow spider then carries its prey back to its retreat before feeding.

Reproduction



Black widow with egg sacWhen a male is mature, he spins a sperm web, deposits s***n on it, and charges his palpi with the sperm. Black widow spiders reproduce sexually when the male inserts his palpus into the female's spermathecal openings. The female deposits her eggs in a globular silken container in which they remain camouflaged and guarded. A female black widow spider can produce four to nine egg sacs in one summer, each containing about 100-400 eggs. Usually, eggs incubate for twenty to thirty days. Rarely do more than a hundred survive through this process. On average, thirty will survive through the first molting, because of cannibalism, lack of food, or lack of proper shelter. It takes two to four months for black widow spiders to mature enough to breed, however full maturation typically takes six to nine months. The females can live for up to five years, while a male's lifespan is much shorter. Contrary to popular belief, the female only rarely eats the male after mating, and L. mactans is the only black widow species for which this form of sexual cannibalism has been observed in the wild. Lifespans depend upon environment, with shelter being the greatest determining factor and food the second greatest.[6] Males that escape being consumed by the females can go on to fertilize other females[7]. This is a general misconception, as the name seems to suggest that the males are invariably consumed

and the female can kill her male after using him

Answer 4

I agree with CJ's response. It looks valid enough. On top of that its a copy/paste so I'm sure it came from somewhere where they knew what they were talking about. Or I'm assuming they know.

Answer 5

All the males of the Latrodectus genus (including black widows and redback spiders of Australia) are poisonous, but are so puny compared to the female that their fangs probably wouldn't even penetrate your skin.

BTW: The eggs of these spiders are also extremely poisonous, although how anyone would ever be poisoned by eating them is beyond me.