How many variations are there of the black widow spider?
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ANSWERS: 1
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According to entomologist Jeremy Miller of the Smithsonian Institution, there are at least 22 species of black widow spider in the world. In 1959, the arachnidologist H.W. Levi contended that most of the distinct species of widows were in fact Latrodectus mactans and reduced the number of Latrodectus species to 6. This led other entomologists to question Levi's research, as individuals of the supposedly cosmopolitan genus had behavioral and biological differences that would not really allow for their placement in a single taxon. Over two decades later, Levi finally announced that his "conclusions were all wrong." The taxonomy of black widows is still under much contention, and Dr. Miller, a prominent spider systematist, is working to change that. Jeremy Miller's website: http://www.gwu.edu/~clade/spiders/jzm.htm
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