15 March, 2005:
Reply: Hello, I knowed this site now, and liked. So, I was
read some questions in the Unidentified 2002 about what kind of
spider was the model showed, from Mike Merrell. And Andrew in
picture of Unidentified 2004. Well, that spider, I think, and almost
certainty, which it is the Brown Spider (Loxosceles). Here in South
of Brazil that spider is common, but n spite of your size is
dangerous. Can to kill if the person to be careless. Well, is
enough. It is the good job. Oiram Bourges (Curitiba-PR-Brazil).
30 December, 2002:
Glen,
I have found a few of these spiders around my house in West Texas,
the one I have sent photos of here was found on the wall of my
office. Back in the spring, my son had a spider bite that our Dr.
suspected to be a Recluse. We found a few spider nests inside the
screens of a window, and captured a couple of them. They were
identified by an exterminator as Brown Recluse. I have since done a
lot of house cleaning and exterminating, and didn't see many spiders
around for a few months. I know the photos aren't very good quality,
I took about 30 photos and have emailed you the clearest. Also
included is a picture of my sons bite. If at all possible can you
identify this spider?
Thank you,
Mike Merrell
(your web page is awesome...good job!) |
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15 June, 2003:
Reply:
This is a green lynx spider.
barb 23 December, 2002:
Here's one I took yesterday of a spider sitting on the menu
on the drive-thru at a local Mexican restaurant... with my new 4
mega-pixel camera.
Todd
Rick Gloger |
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Reply:
This is a marbled orb weaver.
22 October, 2002:
I saw this on your website but did not see where it had been
identified, do you know what it is, I am curious because I
live in the Blue Ridge Mountains
and went hiking over the weekend and saw this I had never seen a
spider in this area that was so brightly colored. Any
information would help, thanks
a bunch.
KimE1214@msn.com |
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Reply: This is a harmless whipspider or tailless whipscorpion in the
"Amblypygi" order (tailless whipscorpion) and probably "Phrynidae"
family.
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org |
19
September, 2002:
Buenos dias
La presente es para contarles que en el patio de mi casa encontre un
animal extraño que parece araña, tiene patas largas, y dos flagelos
como antenas, y
tiene unas tenazas. Les envio una foto de este animal para
saber si ustedes tienen datos que me
puedan proporcionar y saber cual es el nombre y que clase de animal
es.
Gracias,
Atentamente,
Alfonso Ordoñez,
Guatemala, Guatemala,
Centro America,
E-mail:
alfonsoordonez@icasa.com.gt |
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Reply: The three spiders are from
top right - Argiope Aurantia, another argiope of some sort and a wolf spider
with her egg sac.
Reply: The wolf spider on the lower right is a Rabidosa,
species wise, my guess would be a rabida, but its hard to say
without a clearer shot of the abdomen.
Ryan Bell |
14
September, 2002:
Dear Glenda,
What a gorgeous website you have! All
photos are incredible, I never knew so many people will actually
enjoy photographing spiders, this is wonderful.
I'm sending you 3 photos of spiders. One was identified as a female
of GOLDEN BANDED GARDEN SPIDER, daylight
and night photo, another one I
found in the garage. I live in California. Any idea what is the
brown spider? It was big, 1 inch long body
and over 2 in legs span. Best regards -
and thanks for your beautiful site!
Helen |
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14
September, 2002:
Hi,
Great site!
I found this spider on the wall in my apartment (2nd floor - have
no idea how it got here). Do you guys know
what species it is and if it's dangerous?
It was about 2 inches across, and did not move too much, even when
touched. When it finally moved, it was
relatively slow. Location is Sunnyvale, CA (in
the San Francisco Bay
area). Thanks,
Adrian |
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14
September, 2002:
Hi!
I stumbled upon your sight while searching the internet looking to
identify some spiders that are common in my house. I attached a few
pictures for you.
spider01.jpg
Very blurry image. Most likely the same spider on the left in
spider03.jpg.
spider02.jpg
I removed the spider from the background (it had a very strong blue tint
and I'm not good at color correction) and placed it on a white
background in Photoshop. That was all the digital manipulation I did.
spider03.jpg
The spiders are inside a small plastic coffee mug. The inside diameter
is approximately 2-2.5 inches.
spider04.jpg
I see this spider the most. It's in the bathroom, along baseboards, in
corners, outside the front door ... everywhere!
Could you help me identify these and let me know if I should avoid them
or not? If I see the one in the last two pictures, I usually just grab
it with my hands and throw it outside somewhere. I hope that's safe to
do. :)
Thanks!
Greg |
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spider01.jpg |
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spider02.jpg |
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spider03.jpg |
spider04.jpg |
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Reply:
This is a garden orb weaver.
11
September, 2002:
Could you please tell me what kind of spiders
this is? He hangs around outside and only comes out at night he has a
huge web |
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11
September, 2002:
I am not sure of what this one is. I searched the
internet and it seems to me that this is a Decorative Leucauge. I took
the picture in my garden in Sterling VA. Thanks for helping,
MichaelReply:
This spider is "Leucauge venusta" (orchard orbweaver).
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org
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Reply:
This is a garden orb weaver.
11
September, 2002:
Hi Glen,
Could you help me identify this huge spider found by my friend at his
house in Northern Virginia? There is like two white dots under its
belly.
Let me know if you need more info.
Love your website,
Thanks!
Michael |
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9
September, 2002:
I wonder if you are able to identify this spider,
found in my garage in Townsville, it fell into a bucket of water during
the night.
Regards Michael.Nugent. |
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6
September, 2002:
I need a little help with this one. She
was perched near the ceiling in a
mobile home with her babies first thing in
the morning. She is about 4-5
inches across and very fast. Could you
give me your best guess on what kind
of spider this is? This was found in
Southern Indiana in the USA near, but
not right on the water.
Thanks,
Chuck Smith |
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28 August, 2002:
I realize that you probably get swamped with pictures of spiders
that people would like you to identify, and I hope it would not
cause you to much trouble to look one for me. I am very
interested in unusual insects and small animals, and I spend a
great deal of time studying about them. I have often considered
going to school for entomology. In the mean time I usually just
take picture and attempt to identify the species myself from
pictures that I find on the internet or books. This
particular spider has had me stumped for quite some time. I
found this spider in Caseville Michigan on a under a picnic
table at the beach. I have seen similar types, but none that
display the red coloration above the base of the abdomen as this
one does. I have noted similarities that it has in common with
several others that I have researched. Such as the body styling
that resembles the fisherman, but the abdomen is plump like you
would see on an orb weaver. It doesn't appear to have the same
bulk that you find in the cephalothorax of a wolf spider or
member of that family. It was about an inch and a half long. The
web that the spider eventually climbed into was not anything
like an orb weaver would spin it was far more sporadic. And
display no symmetry. It was strung under the picnic table very
haphazardly. I thought this was a particularly beautiful
specimen, but I don't know of what. If you could offer me any
help in identifying this species I would greatly appreciate it.
I have attached a close up view of the spider and a view from a
few feet away that I took with a digital camera.
Sincerely,
Monica L. Barton |
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20 August, 2002:
Hello, I am not sure if you are still
doing this. I have found this spider in my house. It was sitting
above my stove when i found it. I smushed it i am afraid deathly
of spiders... I took some pictures with my video camera
and managed to get screen shots of them. The closest link i
could place was either a wolf spider or a *urk* brown recluse...
I live in the Camp Pendleton (near oceanside) area of
California... Hopefully you can help me out. I have found MANY
spiders here and have caught 3 black widows *urk again* and a
handful of others...
Thanks in advance for your help,
Ray
Iwantacar6@cox.net |
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23 August, 2002:
Reply:
The spider shown in several photos
submitted by William Olson on August 18-19, 2002 are most likely
not brown widows (Latrodectus geometricus),however they are in
the same family: Theridiidae (cobweb weavers). The photos here
look similar to "Tidarren sisyphoides" (tent cobweb weaver),
though the ones that I've come across have been significantly
lighter in colour: Tidarren sisyphoides - Tent Cobweb Weaver
http://floridanature.org/species.asp?species=Tidarren_sisyphoides
Female brown widows have an orange hourglass marking on the
ventral side of the abdomen. Younger female brown widows tend to
have very distinct patterns across their abdomens while older
adults are often mostly a dark brown color. As William mentioned
in his August 19 note, the coloring can vary quite a bit from
one brown widow to the next and they also can vary quite a bit
between each instar. The hourglass is consistent, though. The
eggsacs produced by the brown widows are pretty distinct.
They're spherical like those of other Latrodectus species (widow
spiders), however the eggsacs of the brown widow also are
"tufted" making the eggsacs look like they're covered in tiny
spikes. Several photos of various brown widows and eggsacs can
be seen here: Latrodectus geometricus - Brown Widow
http://floridanature.org/species.asp?species=Latrodectus_geometricus
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org |
19 August, 2002:
I have found photos of brown widows on the web. There
seems to be a wide variation in colour and pattern. It also
seems we are a bit far north for their normal range. Here is a
photo of my friend curled up and laying on
its back. It's hard to tell if there is an hourglass, but
certainly no red or orange.
William |
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18 August, 2002:
Glenda,
Here are some spider photos. The first attachment shows several
photos of the same spider. I have
never seen one like it. Do you have any idea what
it is? The abdomen is almost spherical and it is the same
color but not as much pattern on the
underside. It can tuck its legs in and roll like a
ball.
In the second attachment, I believe the predator is a jumping
spider. The prey may be a small hobo.
William Olson
whoglo@earthlink.net |
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16
August, 2002:
Reply:
Hi
I was looking at your spider page (it's really great!), and I
just wanted to put in my two
cents :-). The unidentified spiders from 30 July 2002 are golden
silk spiders, Nephila clavipes. The ones below that, from 6
July, which you call a "corn silk spider," is to the best of my
knowledge also Nephila clavipes, the golden silk spider, a.k.a.
golden orb spider (though this title also belongs to a different
spider!), a.k.a. banana spider (according to some, and due to
the yellow-gold color of their abdomen). These spiders are
actually native to the southern U.S. and down through central
and parts of South America. I live in Charleston, South
Carolina, USA, where we often have a number of large Nephila
clavipes spiders living on our deck. The females can be huge,
with a body size up to 40 cm. The males are about 1/10 the size
of the females and are a dull brown color. The females get to
their largest size in August, just before they die. The pictures
sent in from Florida are wonderful shots of the spider mating!
I have also read about the government researching the silk of
orb spiders, with potential applications in the manufacture of
bullet-proof vests and parachutes, among other things. I'll have
to look up that article again.
Thanks for your interesting page! E. Douglas |
1 September, 2002:
Reply: I believe the big spider in Mark's August 5 photos is the
Carolina Wolf Spider (lycosidae carolinensis), the largest
species of wolf spider in the U.S.
Douglas Kaiser
5 August, 2002:
Glenda,
I named this spider Christine. I found her in the front yard. At
first I thought the movement under the
leaves was a mouse until she jumped onto
the side of the house. She did not move at all, so I went
to get my camera. She posed for
several shots. As far as I can tell, she is an American Wood
Spider, but your students might be able to identify her
properly. She was about 5 and a
half inches across, with her legs almost as large as my hand.
She is definitely a runner/jumper. She jumped nearly 3
feet from the ground to her position
on the wall of the house.
- Mark |
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23 August, 2002:
Reply: The arachnid posted on August 4, 2002 has already
been identified as a windscorpion or camel spider, but it's
worth knowing that it's neither a true scorpion (order:
Scorpiones) nor a true spider (order: Araneae).
This is in its own order: Solifugae (windscorpions)
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org
Reply: The spider on
the unidentified page dated 4 August 2002 is a Solifugae, also
known as a Sun Spider, windspider, windscorpion, or in the
mid-east as a Camel Spider. Stories on the net indicate high
levels of aggression and would account for the "feisty little
booger."
Jason |
4 August, 2002:
I found this "thing" crawling on my carpet in West
Texas yesterday. At first I thought it was a termite but upon
closer inspection I realized that it had 8 legs. The front pair
seems blunter than the other sets, which have two small
fingerettes on the ends of them. The
thing that gets me is the double pincers that are parallel in
front of the head. They clamp vertically.
The eyes are very small and close set behind the division of the
jaws. I can't see if there's 8 of them because of their small
size. It's a feisty little booger when prodded.
M
Reply:
The "Thing" from
august 4th is a solfugid or Windspider, Sunpider, Camelspider
(Take your pick).
Scott Scher, Webmaster,
http://www.arachnopets.com |
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1 September, 2002:
Reply: The spider in the August 2, 2002 picture sent by
Todd looks to be a grass spider (agelenidae agelenopsis), a
harmless funnel weaver found in the U.S.
Douglas Kaiser
3 August, 2002:
Not too worried, but want to know if at all possible if
dangerous- VERY curious 2 year old,
and want to make sure she wont get into too much
trouble... we live in San Diego.
Thanks!
Todd
P.S. Sorry for the poor quality pic- I need a new/better digital
camera.
Pat |
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27 June, 2003:
Reply: The photos dated July 30, 2002 are:Top-left,
bottom-left, bottom-right: female Nephila clavipes (golden silk
orbweaver) Top-right: Argiope aurantia (yellow garden spider)
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org |
30 July, 2002:
Check out these guys in the enclosed email. There are
100+ of these spiders just in my backyard, which is only 1/4 of
an acre. I've never seen anything like it. There are over 40 of
the same kind of spider in one massive web. Any clue what kind
of spider these are. (Click for a larger
view)
Reply: *Photo on top right is a black and yellow
argiope. Others look like some sort of orb weaver or the corn
silk spider below. |
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27 July, 2002:
I found
my cat playing with this spider last night on my living room
floor, in Bellingham, Wa. I was wondering if you could tell me
what it is?
Thanks,
Greg Rose
roseg@cc.wwu.edu
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30 April, 2003:
Reply:
In Florida, where they're very common, we call them "Golden Silk
spiders" When sunlight strikes the web,the strands take on a gold colour. The scienitific name is Nephila
Clavipes. They are found in the new world tropics. Their life cycle is
around June to Oct. Like the vast majority of spiders, they are also
'sexually diamophic', meaning that one sex, in this case the female is
much larger than the male. In the spider world, the female is the
dominant sex.
They are a very gentle, yet quick moving spider. I've let them walk on
my arm serveral times, they're very tame. If you have some on your
property, and they're not in the way, I'd strongly recommend leaving
them there.
They, like all spiders are great pest control. Any other questions,
please write me
yooper@tampabay.rr.com
Rocky13 July 02:
Reply: The pics
of the spider sent in by Mary in Jacksonville is called the corn
silk spider, whose web is so strong the govt is testing it for
poss. use ..the female has a shell and looks like a mini crab,
the male is tiny ..comes from central America .. from possibly
banana shipping. Rhonda |
6 July, 2002:
I am attaching a zip file of pics of a few spiders that have taken
up residence outside my home. The first is about the size of my
hand outstretched, and is very menacing looking.
Mary,
Jacksonville, Fl. |
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14 July, 2002:
Hi, is that a baby on her belly, or a male spider trying to mate? Is
there that much of a difference between the two sexes? Hello again,
I've been out looking at our guests, and noticed that a few of them
seem to be mommas. I've attached a zip file of what I'm talking
about, also of the new one in the laundry room.
Mary,
Jacksonville, Fl. |
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19 July, 2002:
The spider showed up again last night. Here is a *much*
better picture (finally figured out how to use my camera.
I'm still clueless as to what it is.
CJPaul Day just told me that it is a Brownish Grey
Fishing Spider (dolomedes teneberosus).
Keep up the good work on the site!
CJ |
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Reply: Jim,
If the spider has long spinnerets (they will look like tapered
exhaust pipes at the end of its body), it is Agelenopsis aperta.
Also if the body length is 14 mm or longer that is also A.
aperta. It looks like A. aperta
to me by the banding on the abdomen. It could be Hololena but
the striping on the back is thicker with the dark stripe and
thinner with the light stripe. Hololena are also much smaller
(about 10 mm body length max)
rick vetter |
5 July, 2002:
We have a spider in the kitchen window (inside) that looks like
descriptions of a wolf spider but it has this large web with a
funnel. It is about .8 to 1.0 inch long (area covered standing
from front "foot" to rear).
Its web is about a foot across several potted plants. It would
be larger but that goes beyond my curiosity in keeping it
around.
Could you identify it?
Jim Goetting
Riverside, CA |
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Reply:
This is a jumping spider.
2
July, 2002:
I have found a spider in our house (picture attached). I
thought it might be a red-backed spider, but the red covers most
of the tail, not just a stripe.
What kind of spider is this? Sorry the picture is fuzzy.
Stacey Copeland
stacey@nettexas.org |
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28 June, 2002:
I found this spider in my mom's house the other day
(6-25-02). I was wondering if this is one of the species
of Brown Recluse spiders we have here. Can you please help me
identify this spider? My mom lives in central Mississippi (USA).
As a child I was bitten by a Brown Recluse (I believe, as I
never actually felt the bite or saw the spider), and have
attached a photo (I found on the web) named "brown recluse
bite". It looks EXACTLY like the bite I had, except my bite was
on my ankle. PS.. I REALLY like your web site!! |
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1. The photo in the middle of the three below is to give you a
reference to the size of the spider. It was very small (about
1/2 inch total length, or less). In this photo, the spider is on
a CD sleeve.
2. The photo on the far right was taken when I made the spider
cold (by putting it in the freezer for about 25 seconds) and
then flipped it over. it was fine after about 2 minutes. |
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22 June, 2002:
Hi there. I love your spider website and I thought you may be
interested in these photos I snapped of a Purse Web (Atypidae)
spider I found while digging in my garden in North Vancouver, B.C.,
Canada. The body size of this spider is about 25 mm. Despite its
terrifying appearance, it is a real coward. It is a mygalomorph,
related to tarantulas and funnel web spiders.
Best regards,
Todd Johnson
North Vancouver, Canada |
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26 May, 2002:
Dear Rochedale State School,
I found this spider ( I think it's a spider) in my bathroom
in Pennsylvania, US. It is black or dark brown with pinchers
in front of it. It has short legs and is small. I was
wondering if you could identify this spider for me. Please
e-mail me back at:
brandy16655@yahoo.com
Thank You,
Samantha |
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Reply: Could it be a pseudo scorpion? Have a look at
this page
and see what you think.
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23 August, 2002:
Reply: The spider posted on May 20, 2002 is a female "Heteropoda
venatoria" (huntsman spider). The
females have a legspan reaching about 10cm and the
males, while having a smaller body, have a legspan
reaching about 12cm.
Heteropoda
venatoria - Huntsman Spider.
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org |
20 May, 2002:
I was wondering if you could help me identify a spider that
was on my Ceiling in my garage. I am in Clearwater Florida. It has a 6" leg span with a huge
abdomen.
Thanks
Bill |
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10 May, 2002:
Hi , I like your site. Here is some photos I just took. Could
you confirm that this spider is Phidippus regius, the Regal
Jumping Spider? It is very pretty. It has a dark black velvety
body and white striped legs with a white pattern on its back. It
appears to want to jump , but it hasn't . The other photo is of
a beautiful blue wasp. I know the photos aren't that good but it
is hard to get a wasp and a spider to pose fro the camera. You
can use these photos for your site if you wish. I have put the
spider and the wasp to a duel for death. Heehee. Who do you
reckon will win?
Here is a better photo of Phidippus regius.
The photo that I sent you earlier of the wasp is a blue
Spider Wasp. To update you on the outcome of the battle,
they didn't seem interested in fighting at all, and they told me
that they were not put here for my entertainment, so I set them
free. You can use this photo if you would like.
Jerry |
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12 May, 2002:
Hello I am nick and I saw a web like this one. i put an insect
on the edge of that web and out comes a spider about 1.5cm and
catches the insect with its palps and took it in. I am from
Malta an island in Europe and so it is a European spider. Is it
a segestria florentina?????????? |
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12 May. 2002:
Reply:
This is the family, Deinopidae "ogrefaced spiders". I
don't know exactly what species it is though. There's at least
one species in Florida, US: Deinopis spinosa.
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org |
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18 April, 2002:
This spider hangs around our back fence posts during the summer.
I seldom see more than 2 anywhere around the place. As you can
see, he (she) spins the web to capture prey, and holds it until
the prey is trapped. Since I have never witnessed the
engagement, I am not sure if the spider eats the meal then, or
keeps it for later. I just thought this was a most unusual
specimen, and wanted to share. I do not, however, know what it
is. Any help would be appreciated.
thanks.
bookie@atlantic.net |
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Paul replies: This is a picture of a
spider (perhaps a species of Wandering Spider) molting (or
shedding it’s skin). This is how arachnids grow, and the wasp
was probably taking advantage of this time because the spider is
helpless when it is molting. |
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24 March, 2002
Sorry this is not a comment but a question. Yesterday we saw a
wasp on top of a rain spider and my dog interrupted the scene
and the wasp flew away. We now have a spider which i think is
paralyzed , what can we do to get it better or what can we do to
make his misery go away. There is something very strange
happening with the spider I told you about. It seems to be
splitting or something. Really weird. We are taking a photo for
you. Hope it comes out clear. Do you think the poison has
completely destroyed it. When I blew softly on it yesterday, the
spider seemed to lift is legs slightly.
Hope you can help.
Thanks
Anthea Metcalf |
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18
March, 2002:
Hi,
Having seen your site, I feel compelled to send you this picture
of a scary looking big spider we saw recently on holiday
in Thailand. Kinda resembles Aladdin's slipper. There is a big
dip between the body and the head.If you imagined being
small enough to walk over his back, you'd have to take a huge
step down to stand on its head......not that you'd want to of
course as you'd be small enough to be on the menu. It's just
that I have a lousy manner of explaining myself and that was the
best way I thought. The pic was not taken at night but on a slip
path to a temple on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand. I'd
say from back foot to front foot it measures the size of a hand.
Incredible! Hope you can help. I have no idea and not found
anything on any sites.
Daniella
....also feel like itching everywhere, lol. |
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Reply:
Though I'm not
positive, I believe that this spider is in the genus Nephila
(some are in Asia). It is similar to the huge Nephila
clavipes (golden silk orbweaver) found frequently in the
Americas.
Josh Hillman,
FloridaNature.org |
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12 March,
2002:
Reply:
This is a reply from Graham Milledge at the Australian Museum -
grahamm@austmus.gov.au
"Your spider is a stick or whip spider, Argyrodes(=Ariamnes)
colubrinus. These spiders are quite common in eastern Australia,
though not often seen due to their excellent camouflage. There is a
picture at this link:
http://www.qmuseum.qld.gov.au/features/spiders/spiders/WhipSpider.asp" |
15/01/02:
Hi
Came across your excellent site when seeking to identify the
pictured spider. Could you assist in identifying this spider
observed in my Melbourne garden. At the time of photographing, it
had stretched its front legs forward, in an attempt I guess to look
like a stick.
It caught my eye on a web line of about 2
metres - from the side of the house to a tree. I initially thought
it was some form of stick insect as it appeared to be trapped on the
edge of a small orb-weaving spider's web - however, it transpired
that the orb-weaver and this spider were having a stand-off of
sorts.
Overall length of cephalothorax and abdomen is about 4 cm - with the
abdomen being some 3.5cms. Front and rear legs are longer than
centre pair of legs - yeap, there are 8 legs! Cephalothorax and
abdomen are of similar dimensions in cross section.
Thanks in advance.
double R |
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