Cat-faced spider does not normally eat black widows. The young spiders, however, do eat their brothers and sisters as they hatch so only a few of them will reach adulthood.
The common cat face spider is representative of orb weaver spiders of Family Araeniidae Order Arachnida Araneus gemmoides.
The markings on this spider’s abdomen are said to resemble a cat’s face, complete with bumps that look like ears.
Orb weavers comprise a huge family of spiders, with 3500 species worldwide, 180 of which call North America home. These spiders vary greatly in color, shape and size, measuring between 2 – 30mm (1/16 — 1 1/4″) long. They have eight eyes arranged in two horizontal rows of four eyes each.
Most orb weavers spin spiralling webs on support lines that radiate outward from the center; the plane of the web may be vertical or horizontal or somewhere in between. Many orb webs are built on human structures, parallel to walls.
Learn more about cat-faced spider at cirrusimage.com and Entomology.wsu.edu.