The black widow spider has long enjoyed its reign as the only dangerous spider in Oregon -- and the object of many residents' nightmares. But it might have to make room for a cousin, the brown widow, after one was found in Oregon City recently.

The brown widow is usually found in Southern Africa, Florida and Southern California.

Experts are not sure how one ended up in the Portland area, but it's not that uncommon for exotic critters to hitch a ride on a car, plane or in luggage.

The state has asked residents to search their homes and scan the sidewalks for spiders with the distinctive red or orange hourglass on the underside of their abdomen. Tom Valente, an entomologist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, said there is no reason to panic about a new venomous spider in Oregon yet.

But residents should be cautious.

A brown widow spider can cause similar symptoms as a black widow -- fever and muscle spasms. Valente said there is evidence that brown widows are less likely to bite than black widows.

The brown widow was found by a pest control agency that sent in photos and the specimen, which state scientists confirmed. Since then, the agriculture department has asked residents in the area to keep looking out for brown widows.

They said that anyone who thinks they see one should take a photo and send it to plant-entomologists@oda.state.or.us. (Screaming at the same time is up to the discretion of the photographer.)

Usually, these hitchhikers die off quickly because they are unused to the climate. Valente said that the spider expert at the state believes this will be the case for any brown widows.

"If they are outside already, then they will probably be wiped out by the freezing weather because they are subtropical animals," Valente said.

Should the new widows take up residence permanently -- an unlikely possibility that would include either mates traveling to Oregon together or a spider building an egg sac that survives the winter -- then agriculture officials would have to decide whether to eradicate them or not.

But people should not panic, Valente said.

"What we don't want is general hysteria."

Good luck, buddy.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger