Is this a black or brown widow spider?

I am in central Tx and found a few of these in the garage. I realize they are not the same color as a black widow, but could it be a brown widow? or a mail black widow? The shape seems so similar.

Thanks!
Focused

Although this spider belongs to the same family (Theridiidae) as the widow spiders, it looks more like a Steatoda sp. - see http://tinyurl.com/5234u8 for an example. Some good images of brown widows can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2c3z26p
These spiders can give one a painful bite (as I can personally attest), but they are not dangerous to humans.

Thanks suunto. I reviewed the links you provide and found them to be very interesting. One question, there appears to be very similar looking spiders on the brown widow page and the Cobweb Spider page. Both are very similar to my spider. Can you provide any insite?

I have a 2 and 5 yr old, if it is a brown widow, how should I go about getting rid of them?

pic above is from the brown wido site...this one is from the cobweb site.

also, are you pretty sure in your assessment? I can provide more pictures if needed.

sorry this the pictue of the cobweb spider that looks similar to the brown widow.

Some more clearly focused images of your spider(s) would help; I still believe that it/they are more likely in the genus Steatoda, perhaps Steatoda triangulosa. This spider is highly variable in color pattern; if you Google that name, you will see what I mean. In the meantime, if you are concerned about these spiders, simply suck them up with a vacuum and dispose of the bag in the trash.

Here are some more pictures. This is a different spider from the one yesterday, but all of these new pics are of the same spider. The pictures with the flash brought out the markings better on camera however they inverted the colors. the main color on the abdomen is dark dark brown to black and the spots are a whitish dark grey (if that makes sense).

more

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I am more confident now that this is a Steatoda sp. with S. triangulosa being the most likely suspect. In addition to other characters, the markings on the dorsum of its abdomen are geometric in shape, whereas those on the brown widow tend to be vermiform/wavy.

Thank you Suunto

ok, found some more spiders in my kids play cars in the garage. Looks slightly different, here are some pics...any look like the black widow?

another picture

These last images are Steatoda triangulosa. They are harmless and the spiders vary among individuals as far as markings go.

Thanks Melody!

You're welcome!