What spider family includes black widows?

What spider family includes black widows? Theridiidae is the family that includes black widows.

Black widows belong to the genus Latrodectus, which is placed within Theridiidae, the cobweb, tangle-web or comb-footed spider family. The family is much broader than black widows: it includes thousands of species, many of which are small, unobtrusive spiders living in messy three-dimensional webs around buildings and vegetation.

Recognised widow species include the southern black widow, Latrodectus mactans; the western black widow, Latrodectus hesperus; and the northern black widow, Latrodectus variolus. Other relatives include the redback spider of Australia and the brown widow. Their venom contains latrotoxins, which can cause the painful muscle cramps and spasms associated with latrodectism.

A common mistake is to answer Latrodectus. That is the genus, not the family requested here. Another look-alike problem involves false widows in the genus Steatoda: they are also in Theridiidae, but they are not true black widows.