|
|
|
CHECK OUT MY
NEW PAGES ON PETS -
WWW.MYPETZRULE.COM!! |
|
Spider Photos - Steatoda or Steadota |
There seems to be some question as to
which version - Steadota or Steatoda is correct. I have
found it both ways so will make mention here of this anomaly so that my
viewers are aware that they may see it either way. Spiders of the genus Steadota/Steatoda belong to the spider family
Theridiidae, or the cobweb weavers.
Also known as Combfooted Spiders, this family
includes a number of well known arachnids, including the American
house spider, Achaearanea tepidariorum, and the redback and
widow spiders, Latrodectus spp.. Steatoda spiders are
found throughout the world, in both temperate and tropical climates.
They are small to moderately small (3-9 mm) spiders with oval
abdomens; they may be reddish, brownish or black, with most species
exhibiting a white band at the front of the dorsal abdomen which may
resemble a collar. These spiders construct a strong, irregular web,
somewhat resembling the webs of widow spiders; this web is very
sticky, making it a highly effective snare for hobo spiders which
they are very good at catching. Steadota/Steatoda grossa, the false
black widow spider is the most well known of the Steadota/Steatoda
spiders. Found in cosmopolitan areas around the world, and on both
coasts of the United States, grossa is a larger (9 mm)
Steadota/Steatoda which, as its common name suggests, may resemble a
black widow spider (with no hourglass). Specimens can be reddish to
purplish brown in colour, with pale yellow markings on the dorsal
abdomen, but many specimens are so dark that these pale markings
cannot be distinguished. Steadota/Steatoda grossa is a common and well
known "house spider" in many areas, constructing its webs in and
around buildings, rock walls, and other structures. It has long been
known that the "false black widow" will ensnare, kill and prey upon
actual black widow spiders in its natural habitat.
The bite of the common comb footed
spider causes mild local pain unlike the redback/widow spiders whose
bites should be treated immediately with antivenom, especially in a
young child.
Info -
www.hobospider.org.
Many thanks for
allowing us to use the photos sent in. All photos are copyright to their
owners and may not be reproduced without permission.
Please choose a
section.
|
NEW: Now you can advertise on the largest spider's site in the
world!! Reasonable rates, pay monthly or yearly, choose your page,
limited spaces available - check it out now! |
|
|
|
|
|
STEATODA
(Steatoda nobilis)(Steatoda
Paykulliana)
(Steatoda grossa)
(Steatoda triangulosa)(Steatoda borealis) |
|
The false widow spiders belong to the
genus, or group, called
Steatoda . There
are six species of Steatoda
found in the UK including one introduced
species, Steatoda nobilis. This
group of spiders get their name because
they look similar to the true black
widow group of spiders, genus
Latrodectus. However Steatoda
are significantly less harmful to
humans.
Steatoda are shaped similarly to
widow spiders, with round, bulbous
abdomens. However, not all
Steatoda species resemble widows
– many have distinct coloring, and are
significantly smaller than Latrodectus
specimens. Some species of
Steatoda actually will prey on
widows, as well as other spiders which
are considered hazardous to humans. In
common with other members of the
Theridiidae family, the
Steatoda spiders construct a
cobweb, i.e., an irregular tangle of
sticky silken fibres. As with other
web-weavers, these spiders have very
poor eyesight and depend mostly on
vibrations reaching them through their
webs to orient themselves to prey or
warn them of larger animals that could
injure or kill them. They are not
aggressive, and most injuries to humans
are due to defensive bites delivered
when a spider gets unintentionally
squeezed or pinched somehow. It is
possible that some bites may result when
a spider mistakes a finger thrust into
its web for its normal prey, but
ordinarily intrusion by any large
creature will cause these spiders to
flee. Some members of this genus
do have bites which are medically
significant in humans (such as S.
grossa and
S. nobilis), however bites by
Steatoda species generally do not
have any long-lasting effects.
S. nobilis is native to the
Canary Islands but arrived in England in
around 1870 through bananas sent to
Torquay. In England it has a
reputation as one of the few local
spider species which is capable of
inflicting a painful bite to humans -
although this is a comparatively rare
occurrence.
|
|
|
|
Steadota
bipunctata
Rabbit Hutch Spider |
|
|
Reply: This looks like
Steatoda bipunctata - glen
21 January, 2012:
Hi there,
I found this spider in my bathroom and was just curious as to what he was.
Thanks a lot for the help
Rick |
|
|
. |
|
Reply: This looks like
Steatoda bipunctata - glen
19 May, 2011:
Wow, I actually forgot to add the pic huh? lol Well I guess thats what comes from working 7 days a week right now. lol Here is the pic....
Ken |
|
|
. |
|
Reply: I agree it does look like
Steatoda bipunctata - glen
24 September, 2010:
Hi Glen I have still been looking for that spider myself and I
might have found it. I think it is the Rabbit Hutch Spider, or
Steatoda bipunctata. Not all of the pictures look like it but
there are some that do. Now my problem is finding more info on
it (if thats what it is). Bite info if dangerous at all, etc...
Do you think I found the right name? Any info on the spider you
might have? Are they common in America, especially Michigan?
Well, I do appreciate any help you can give. THanks :o) Ken
24 September, 2010:
Hi Glen With the summer coming to a close, I have not been
seeing too many spiders lately here in Michigan. Tonight
however, I found this spider and I dont know what kind it is. I
was looking at your spider photos in hopes of finding it but I
didnt see it. Any chance you might have an idea what kind it is?
I spent about an hour taking pictures of it and between not
having the best camera in the world, not have great lightning
aand it not staying still half the time, these are the best I
could get. To give you a better idea of the size, the dixie cup
he is on is just a small bathroom size dixie cup. I believe they
are 3 oz cups. Ken
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Reply: This is probably one of the steatoda family too - glen
20 November, 2011:
Hi,
I took a photo of this spider that was living in my car door and the markings were very interesting. Im sure this a just a common spider but thought I would ask a specialist [Smile]
any light you can shed on this will be very interesting and much appreciated.
thank you
Regards
Neil,
Essex
England
|
|
|
. |
|
Reply: This is probably one of the steatoda family too - glen
6 October, 2011:
Hi Glen,
Found this spider this morning. I live in Northern Utah.
Thought maybe you could help identify it.
--
~Jay
|
|
|
. |
5 June, 2011:
I’d really appreciate it if you could help me identify this spider. I found it dead on the floor of a closet that hasn’t been used or cleaned in more than a year. If it’s an ordinary house spider, I won’t worry about it, but if it’s poisonous, I’ll need to take fumigation steps to protect my grandchildren.
The body plus head is only 3/8” of an inch, but the belly markings look vaguely hourglass-shaped (to me).
Back/Belly photos attached.
Thanks so much!
Barb |
|
 |
|
|
. |
|
Reply: This is also similar to a brown
widow spider but I can't see any red markings on it
so its probably one of the steatoda family too - glen
19 May, 2011:
Spider ID, Dave |
|
|
. |
|
Reply: This is looks like a brown
widow spider but I can't see any red markings on it
so its probably one of the steatoda family - glen
14 February, 2011:
Hello,
I would like to have some help to identify a specie of spider there is in my house. I live in the northwest of Brazil (hot weather) and in my house are a infestation of spiders. It has a brown body with a white/gray butt. It's web is like a straight fiber. The spider's size is like a thumbnail.
I attached a picture, so you can see better the spiders.
I hope to hear from you soon
Thankfully,
Rebeca |
|
|
. |
|
Reply: This is looks like a false
widow spider - glen
14 February, 2011:
Hiya— You probably get tons of requests
for spider i.d.s, and this email is no different… I live in
north eastern Illinois, 40 miles west of Chicago, USA, in a town
called St. Charles. I’m a naturalist and keep pretty good track
of the spiders I share a house with. For the most part, they’re
fairly common species. But the one in the attached pic was a new
guy. For all I know, he may be common as well, but I sure as
heck can’t figure out what he is. He appeared in early December,
on the wall in my kitchen. I tried to get a shot that would
capture his eye pattern, but no luck. He kept turning every time
I got close with the camera. He hung around for about a week.
Then, when I finally had time to try and capture him for a
close-up look, he was gone. An interesting behavior note—he ate
all the other spiders in the kitchen before moving on to points
unknown. Can you help with an identification on this fine
specimen? I write a weekly column in our local newspaper, and
ran the pic a few weeks ago hoping a reader would recognize it.
But so far all I’ve gotten is an email warning that it might be
a brown recluse (because, after all, that’s what all spiders
are, right? J ) and a phone message that I should Google “camel
spiders.” Can you please help me identify this spider? I will
certainly run your answer and credit you and your fine web site
in the column. Thanks very much, in advance— Pam |
 |
|
. |
|
Reply: Looks like one of the steadota family as
well.
24 September, 2010:
I found this spider in the corner of my garage
(Vancouver BC, Canada) and was wondering: what kind it is? Pics
attached.
|
|
 |
| . |
|
Reply: Looks like one of the steadota family as
well.
17 January, 2009
Hi, I live in Vancouver BC. Came across this
spider in my basement, not the first one I've seen down
there.... Worried that it might be a black widow. What do you
think? I would REALLY appreciate you help. Thanks Angela and
family |
|
 |
| . |
22 November, 2008
Hi Glen, 6123a, 1531a and 1538a - I believe these are all
common red house spiders, am I correct? These spiders are very
common here in Bermuda, they are the ones that make the messy
cobwebs in the house. I’m not sure what kind of spider is in
1542a. It’s tiny, with legs and all it can’t be more than 1/8
inch. I found it behind a picture frame. It looks like it has 3
pairs of eyes – I know that the brown recluse have six eyes
arranged like this, could it be a juvenile? Have a good day,
Tracy
|
 |
|
 |
 |
| . |
|
Reply: Looks like one of the steadota family.
13 November, 2008:
Hi! Stumbled on your website while searching for
a match to the spider my daughter found in her home. Any
information that you can give will be most helpful. We live in
the Pacific Northwest. I haven't had a chance to ask her if this
was found outside or inside her house. She has a baby so I hope
that it wasn't in the house. Thank you, |
|
 |
| . |
16 June, 2008:
This spider and the web look a lot like a black widow but
it does not have a red hourglass shape on the abdomen. It lives
in a tree and comes out at night. The body is about 13mm. |
|
 |
 |
| . |
10
June, 2008:
I found this spider and am not sure if it is
poisonous or not. I don't want to disturb it if Its not
harmful but if it is my wife wants it out of the house.
This spider is from Houston Tx if that helps, and its
not much bigger if any than the fly shown with it.
Please let me know what you think. Thanks, Mark |
|
 |
| . |
12 May, 2008:
The other two are of a tiny little brown spider we
found as we were cleaning back in a corner near a window...a
steadota? Very small, only about the size of a fingernail.
(including leg span.) Enjoy! Freemans, Tucson AZ USA |
|
 |
 |
| . |
10
May, 2008:
Hi Glen, I'm sure you probably get tired of people
sending you pix of spiders to identify, but here goes:
After coming out of the shower a couple days ago, I
noticed a weird black, circular wound with a red ring
around it on my ankle. I hadn't remembered bumping my
foot or anything, and the center part of the tissue was
blackened & scabbed - like the tissue had just kinda
died or necrotized (pic attached). It had a weird
appearance, but no pain at all. I suspected it was
possibly a spider bite, and after looking at a few
images of spider bites on the Web, I concluded that it
probably was. My wife & I did a spider hunt and found
this guy lurking around - 2 pics attached. To the best
of your knowledge, what species of spider would you say
this is? And, of course, I'm curious as to whether it
could be resposble for the bite.
Any info will be much appreciated. It's not a
life-or-death siutation; I'm mainly just very curious.
best, JohnB |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
| . |
10 April, 2008:
Hi Glen,
Here is one photo of a Steadota, and some pictures of two
other spiders I can't identify. You can use the pics if you
want.
--Damy
Click for a larger view.
|
 |
| . |
|
28
March, 2008:
Hey there...My name is Ami and I
found in my garden a spider (I
attached a picture). I'll be very
very happy if you could tell me what
kind of spider it is... and if I
should be careful around him...Thank
you, Ami
|
 |
 |
| . |
|
Reply: It looks like one of the steadota family
but it's hard to tell from the photo. Anyone who is concerned about bites not
healing up should go and see their doctor.
16 March, 2008:
Hi I'm Kara from Ma and I have a bad spider bite on my back
and I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of spider this is. I'm not
sure if this is the spider that bit me or not. I've had the bite for over a week
and it's swelled, it had a green head like a pimple but much larger. It looked
like there was a large pea under my skin. My boyfriend popped it and the green
head came out but it was a hard puss. Now there's a whole in my back that goes
through every layer of skin and opens into a cavern like thing. It's starting to
form a green head again and I'm not really to sure what to do. We also have
spiders that are slightly larger than this one with a blonde color. If you could
get back to me as soon as possible I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
|
|
 |
 |
| . |
|
2 March, 2008:
Hi Glen, Here are some assorted Steadota pictures I've
recently taken. There seems to be a good variety of them around
here. Feel free to use my pictures if you want. Damy
|
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
| . |
|
29 February,
2008:
Hello, I was wondering if you may help me identify this
spider. I attached several pics. Thank you so much. Kaine
|
 |
|
 |
 |
| . |
12 January,
2008:
Hey Glen, I'm 13 and currently living in Vancouver, BC,
my names also Glen :). Today I was cleaning out my gutters
with my dad and found a spider, at first I automatically
assumed it was a Black Widow, but then when I got closer it
seemed to be more of a maroon colour... Please tell me what
it is.
*Dark Steel Warrior*
G.S.D
|
 |
| . |
Reply: It still is possibly a
steadota, they may be brown, reddish or black
with most species exhibiting a
white band at the front of the dorsal abdomen which may resemble a
collar.
29 December, 2007:
This spider was in my sofa bed. i have never seen one before
could you tell me where i might find out more information about it?
i thought it was a steadota but they all seem to be brown and this
is black with greenish grey legs. will it bite my company? feel free
to use these if you like . thanks melissa
|
|
|
|
| .. |
|
13 September, 2007:
I send you too the spider that I told you that my house is full
of it!!!!!! They are everywhere!!!!! Kitchen, bathroom, close to
the dog food plate and they're very funny! It doesn't bother me,
but is fun that I found they all over my house!! Note that they
are very tiny but with a big But!!! I’m sending you 2
different shoots of the same kind (I THINK) of this little
spider!!! Note that one have more darker the but than the
other!! Ae they the same family or specie?? I know that for the
size they cant be and maybe is IMPOSSIBLE that they could be
venomous to human, but what do you think?? They are a common
specie?? In their size are they venom to small bugs??? Take a
look and maybe you can know this specie!!! Gustavo |
 |
|
 |
 |
| .. |
|
17
June, 2007::
Hi, I found this spider in my house. It
caught my eye, because it was in a black widow
(rare in NE PA) type web, except larger and not
as dense. Can you ID this spider and let me know
if it is venomous? Thank you Bob
|
 |
| .. |
|
12
March, 2007:
I found this spider in my kitchen, and i cannot find a spider that resembles
it, i think it may resemble the brown widow... but i am not sure. i have 2 very
small children that currently like spiders (charlettes web) and it scares me
that i dont know what it is or if it is a threat to my children. please help.
|
 |
 |
| .. |
23 August, 2006:
Here are some more spider pics from La Mesa,Ca. A lynx spider [looks
like a male] and a couple of these comb-footed species which I wrongly
thought were brown widows. [by the way, thanks for your email reply] I'm
using a cheap 2 meg fujifilm camera so the quality is not so great,but
still... If you can use them please do so. Roy
|
 |
| .. |
|
Reply: The specimen was some type of
theriid ("comb-footed") spider, possibly
one of the /Steadota/Steatoda
species (we can't be positive without
seeing an actual specimen). It derives its name from a set of
bristles which are found on the hind pair of legs. These
bristles are used to wrap the spider's prey in silk. This group of
spiders includes the black widow spider but the specimen in your
picture is not that species. In general, this particular species
does not pose a health threat to people or pets. However, just as
with bee or wasp stings (which have a very different venom), people
will exhibit varying degrees of sensitivity to a bite. I don't
consider the use of pesticides as necessary. Preventive
spraying for spiders if difficult because they move around and
finding a "target site" to treat is difficult. Plus, longevity
of the chemical in being effective against spiders depends on many
factors. Simply removing the spider is a simple and effective
control. (Entomologist - State Centre)
11 June, 2006:
Hi, great website. Any idea on what kind of spider this is?
She's got red
diamonds down the back in a patter with black..found her underneath
my pool skimmer. never seen this before.
In sunny Phx, AZ Any help would be great!!!
Thanks,
Chea
|
 |
| .. |
|
|
|
 |
|
Here's a really worthwhile
site to help support the kids in Africa who are suffering in the AIDS
epidemic. Click on the banner for more info.> |
|
|
|
|
