Black widow

Black Widow is a common name of some spiders in the genus Latrodectus It may refer to:

• North American species:
  • (Western) Black widow, Latrodectus hesperus
  • (Southern) Black widow, Latrodectus mactans
  • (Northern) Black widow, Latrodectus variolus
• Australian:
  • Black widow, Latrodectus hasselti, also known as the Redback spider
• New Zealand:
  • Black widow, Latrodectus katipo, also known as the katipo
• European:
  • (European or Mediterranean) Black widow, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus
• False black widow, spiders of the genus Steatoda, often mistaken for widow spiders

Black Widow may also refer to:

Animals

• Black widow, freshwater fish Gymnocorymbus ternetzi also known as Black tetra
• Black widow, ocean fish Stygnobrotula latebricola, a species of Brotula

Criminology

In criminology slang, a black widow is a woman who has murdered her husband(s).

Fiction

• Several comic book characters, including:
  • Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), Natasha Romanoff, a Marvel Comics character and the most notable of them.
  • Black Widow (from Timely Comics), a 1940s comic book character
  • Black Widow (Yelena Belova), a Marvel Comics character appearing in 1999
• Black Widow, a castle in Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy of novels
• Black Widow: A Novel, a 1981 novel by Christina Crawford
• Black Widowers, a fictional men-only dining club created by Isaac Asimov for a series of mystery stories
• Black Widow, a 1972 opera by Thomas Pasatieri.
• Natasha Kerensky, a BattleTech character also known as "The Black Widow"

Film and television

• Black Widow (1954 film), starring Ginger Rogers and Gene Tierney
• Black Widow (1987 film), featuring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell
• Black Widow (2005 film), a Canadian film starring Sarah Slean
• Black Widow (2007 film), with Elizabeth Berkley and Alicia Coppola
• The Black Widow (serial), a 1947 movie serial starring Bruce Edwards
• The Black Widow (1951 film), a British film starring Christine Norden
• The Black Widow, a Batman (TV series) villain played by Tallulah Bankhead
• "The Black Widow", an episode of Boston Legal
• "Black Widower", an episode of The Simpsons

Music

• Black Widow (band), a British progressive rock band
• "Black Widow", a song by the rock band Mötley Crüe on the compilation Red, White & Crüe
• "Black Widow", a song by the metal band Black Tide on the album Light from Above
• "Black Widow", a song by Lita Ford on the album Dangerous Curves
• "Black Widow", a song by the melodic death metal band Children of Bodom on the album Hatebreeder
• "Black Widow", a song by Dolores O'Riordan on the album Are You Listening?
• "Black Widow", a song by Mac Lethal on the album Love Potion Collection 4
• "The Black Widow", a song by Alice Cooper on the album Welcome to My Nightmare
• Black Widow Records, an Italian label

People

• Black Widows, suicide bombers known in Russia as Shahidka
• Black Widows of Liverpool, two people hanged for murder in 1884
• The Black Widow Sonya Thomas, a top-ranked competitive eater
• The Black Widow Stacey Castor, a convicted murderer
• The Black Widow Jeanette Lee, a top-ranked pool player
• Black Widow on Space Ghost

Plants

• Black widow, a herbaceous plant species Geranium phaeum

Technology

• P-61 Black Widow, a World War II aircraft
• Black Widow, a roller coaster at Six Flags New England

Video and computer games

• Black Widow (arcade game), a 1982 Atari arcade game
• Black Widow, a character from the Saturday Night Slam Masters series of games by Capcom
• Black Widow Games, a computer games developer