COMB FOOTED SPIDERS - Steadota

Reply: The specimen is probably some type of theriid ("comb-footed") spider, possibly
one of the /Steadota/ species. It's not a brown widow.

21 August, 2006:

Reply: These could be steadota, false widows that are easily mistaken for brown widows.

10 July, 2006:
Found these in my garage in San Antonio – they are a little unusual and different than the “normal” Black Widows that I find, although I am pretty sure they are widows, as – well….apparently while I was cleaning the garage, I got bit. Pretty classic widow envenomation symptoms. I found 38 (not including…ummm…probably thousands of spiderlings) before I had to quit cleaning due to symptoms. I’ll try to get a better picture when I’m feeling better. The stripes actually look silverish and I didn’t notice an hourglass – maybe a light brown one? I’ll check and get some better photos as I know there are more left. Any idea what this is? Dave B. San Antonio , Texas
More from Dave: Upon further review – even though it made me fairly sick – the spider IS Steatoda triangulosa (triangulate cobweb spider) According to my research, it can make you sick (but not like the widows) and, it would also explain the lack of REAL widows (had them last year – not this year) as they are a predator of widows. I have TONS of these spiders – but NO black widows now. Live and learn.

Reply: These could be easily mistaken for brown widows as I did until I got Cathy's reply from Dr. John A. Jackman, Professor and Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology: "That is a cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae. The genus on that  one is probably Steatoda. They are common in homes and are considered harmless to humans. See: http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/l-1787.html "

8 June, 2006:
I know you don't id spiders, but any idea where I could send these to find out what this is? and of course, if you'd like these on the site, you are more than welcome to them. Cathy Webb Garland, TX

1 February, 2006:
Hi Glen, here's a couple of pictures of the black spider, it had died overnight by the time these pics were taken so i tried to carefully place it in a respectable pose with tweezers, it lost 3 legs in my frantic attempt to capture it alive, I was a bit nervous when i was trying to catch it but I'd rather it died than me! my camera work isn't brilliant but if any of these pics are of interest to you for your website you can freely copy and use any of them at will. When we crushed the egg sacks we missed two, one hatched hundreds of the little beggars of which i crushed about a hundred then they scattered all over the place ) and the other we put in a jar. Since i last emailed you I've caught 5 more brown widows and what looks like it may become a black widow. We have since lifted up a grate next to where i caught this black spider in the photo and we found a single egg sack of a smooth nature (not the spiky one) right where the spider was hiding and have put that in another jar for surveillance (almost round but ever so slightly egg shaped an cream in colour). I am very surprised to see widow spiders in Cyprus...no one else believed me when i said i had some round my house and garden, they said they don't come from this part of the world it can't be them, and then i checked the net for photos and found your site which enlightened me to what i was dealing with, so thank you! you have probably saved me from getting bitten by alerting me to how venomous they are. I am now treating them with upmost respect. I guess they are cannabalistic too because one has attacked another and spun a web round it now and it looked like it was giving it a good bite too. I've thrown a few live beetles in the tub to keep them occupied too and it seems to be doing the trick. Two pics one of side view, one of underside view. Look forward to hearing your verdict! thanks Glen,  Paul

Reply: The specimen was some type of theriid ("comb-footed") spider, possibly
one of the /Steadota/ 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

26 January, 2006:
Hi. Background info: Just before Christmas, whilst doing some rebuilding to my garage, I removed a load of old cobwebby timbers from a dusty old storeroom in the old chapel here in England where I live and found, somewhat to my astonishment, two shiny black spiders of a type I had never seen before; both had bodies much larger than their heads, (body size about the size of a chick-pea, and leg span slightly bigger than a 10 (or 2) pence piece); both had two coloured triangles on the back of their abdomens, one set an orange cream colour, and the other set more of a brown/grey; these triangles were not red, nor were they in an hourglass formation, rather both pointed towards the head, one in front of the other - (similar in size and position to the hourglass formation, but with the top half swivelled the other way up). One spider was slightly bigger than the other. I insinctively felt fear and danger,and my head spelt out 'Black Widow'. These shiny specimens seemed to belong more to a sinister science fiction film or an S&M flick rather than to mygarage. I put on some gloves and caught both with a sheet of paper and a cup. I looked up what I could find on the internet - the closest match was a Black Widow spider, except for the fact of the markings on the back - classic Black Widows have a red hourglass. These didn't, although size and body shape were identical. I read a certain amount about the toxicity of
the bite of the Widow, their reclusive nature, their love for warm countries, and was surprised that I found these alive and well in December in England. Uncertain and a little spooked, I knew I wanted these two away from my house, so I walked a few hundred yards down the road and flung them from my cup into a hedge on a wet and cold night, thinking they probably wouldn't survive long. Until two days ago there has been no further sighting. Whilst repairing my garage door, I found another spider, slightly smaller than I remember the other two being, but again, shiny and black, dangerous looking, identical to those from before. I have caught it and put it in a cup. It has two coloured arrows on its abdomen facing its head in a brown/mahogany colour. I have tried to take some good photographs to send, but because the subject is in a white mug, it is dark and so the flash goes off and reflects off the white glaze, and because I need a reasonably lowresolution to send over the internet, the shots are not great. But they will give you an idea of what's going on. They are added as an attachment to this mail.  I need to know what this spider is, if there is any potential danger or not. I have taken the spider to a local amateur 'expert' who informed me that it was definitely a 'cave spider', (meta menardi), without really actually looking at it and subsequent searches on the internet show that this is obviously not the case. It has a totally different shaped body and markings, not to mention overall colour. The only photograph I can find which is a definite match is actually on your website under the title of 'steatoda grossa' - the web address is: http://www.spiderzrule.com/commonhouse.htm
A search on Google for 'steatoda grossa photo' reveals pages containing photos of numerous spiders which look very different, yet are all still called 'steatoda grossa'. Is this because people are just being inept, or perhaps because many variations are possible? The subject is now deceased due to a certain amount of ineptitude on my part. An attempt at picking it up with a sheet of paper resulted in a awkward scrape which burst the abdomen sac, which subsequently oozed out brown goo, the abdomen deflated and the spider died. So no chance of a better photograph. I'm sure I will find more specimens in time. If there were three, there's bound to be another somewhere. This was probably a baby from the two larger ones from before xmas.  I'm used to living in a country where the danger comes from people, not from little eight-legged beasties that have stepped off of the set from The Matrix! From what I have read on the 'net the bite from Steatoda Grossa is similar to although a lot less severe than a bite from the Black Widow, and should be treated with the same antivenom if possible if an allergic reaction happens, otherwise just hang in there until the body sorts itself, usually with a reaction like a bee sting. What do you guys think this is? Any thoughts regarding this matter would be most helpful. If you are unable to identify this spider, but know of a person who might be able to, perhaps you could pass on some details? That would be most kind. Many thanks,
Yours sincerely,
Justin Goode, Penzance, UK.
Email: justin@blue-earth.co.uk

Another Reply: The Steatoda sent in on Jan 8th is a borealis sp. See a pic here. Brian

Reply: It has the same body shape as the black and brown widow and probably belongs to the same family of comb footed spiders. (Steatoda)
http://hobospider.org/steatoda.html - glen

8 January, 2006:
Glen, I just discovered your terrific website trying to identify what this spider might be. It resides in our basement in Portland, Oregon; is about 3/4 inch altogether--abdomen a little under 1/2" with distinctive red color but no other markings. Doesn't move much--just perches outside this hole in the concrete until something comes along it would appear.  Thanks for any help you can offer. Chris