Spiders

Here's some photos sent in by viewers. Many people are confused by the these 5 similar looking spiders - the harmless Huntsman, Wolf Spider, Southern House Spider (Kukulcania), Fishing Spider and Brown Recluse which of course is not harmless. The southern house spider, Kukulcania (Filistata) hibernalis Hentz, is a conspicuous arachnid in Florida due to its relatively large size and distinctive flat, tangled web. It is common throughout Florida and much of the southern United States in human populated areas. Males of this species are often mistaken for the notorious brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch and Mulaik, because of their colour and general shape. Southern house spiders are not known to have a dangerous bite. However, two bite cases reportedly caused the victims pain and swelling for a few days. Occasionally, the Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus), is misidentified as a brown recluse. However, the colour pattern on the carapace of this species is reversed, with a light median mark on a dark background, and adults of this spider are much larger than a brown recluse. All photos are copyright to their owners and may not be reproduced without permission. Please choose a section.

Unidentified Spiders 2005	Unidentified Spiders 2004 (1)	Unidentified Spiders 2004 (2)
Unidentified Spiders 2003	Unidentified Spiders 2002	Unidentified Spiders 2001
Spiders in Amber	Closeups	Jumping Spiders
Argiopes/St. Andrew's Cross	Garden Orb Weavers	Golden Orb Weavers
Marbled Orbweavers	Redback/Black Widow	Huntsman Spiders
Jewelled Spiders	Mygalomorphs	Lynx Spiders
Crab Spiders	Wolf Spiders	Brown Recluse Spiders
Fishing Spiders	Southern House Spider	Miscellaneous Spiders

MISCELLANEOUS
29 September, 2004: I live in SE PA (outside Philly) and found the attached spider hanging out on a wall in the house. We've had Fisher Spiders in the house before, but this gut look different. I'm hoping he's a variety of Fisher Spider, but he looks like a Wandering Spider which would scare the hell out of me if it was. I know the Wandering spider is from S.America but is it common for this species to show up in other counties and could this guy be one. To provide a bit of perspective the spider is in a typical pint beer glass. Thanks for your help!
Reply: This one looks like a funnel weaver spider (Agelenopis species) which is a relative of the hobo spider. Click here for picture to compare.
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28 September, 2004: Hi Glen, I found your site tonight, and although reading it makes me itchy, it's great. I live in Southeastern Pennsylvania and this ceature is living in my basement. I have numerous other types, but this is the largest. Is this a wolf spider? If not, is it dangerous? Hope to hear from you. Thanks, Karen Reply: Looks like a wolf spider?
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28 September, 2004: Hi, You helped me identify a spider that I saw in Mexico a bit over a month ago. A couple of days ago some friends and I were strolling around the Utah Winter Olympic park, and saw the spider attached, it was rather large, 3-4 inches long, and 1-2 inches wide body, and long legs. I am guessing it is a huntsman spider but the wasn't sure because the front legs don't fan out. I've attached a couple of pictures can you help me identify it? Thanks, John
	Reply: Looks like a wolf spider?
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28 September, 2004: Hi, This rather nice specimen arrived at the University where I work. It was found in a house in Sheffield (UK) but I'm convinced it is not native to this country. If you have any thoughts it would be much appreciated. Many thanks, Rich Reply: Looks like a huntsman?
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29 November, 2003: I live in Southern California.. we found this spider lurking in a bedroom closet. She looks like a kind of huntsman. Leg to leg, she measures about 2.5 inches. Any more information would be greatly appreciated.. P.S.: You have a splendid website!
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5 November, 2003: i keep finding these spiders at my house in Nashville, Tennessee. they have been about .5 to 1 inch long. i always find them walking around on the carpet or in the bath tub. on all the sites i see it looks like some kind of wolf spider but i don't know. thanks patlee

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26 May, 2002: Hi, I live in Los Angeles and I found this guy in my apartment. I don't believe he's dangerous, but I was curious if you could identify him. I suspect he's just in the family of European house spiders - approx. 1-1.25" across leg span. Unfortunately the black & white photo is the only one that came out well - I'm still working on my close-up photo skills. The picture on the left, was taken about a year ago, no doubt the exact same type of spider. Please feel free to use these pictures on your site - I'll gladly send more when I find more accommodating "models" so I can work on my macro skills. Jason Malburg

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22 May, 2002: COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT THIS ONE IS? IF YOU GET THE CHANCE I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATED! THANK YOU! Trula Januszkiewicz sjn109@cs.com
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*Reply:* Paul replies: It could be a number of different things. It isn't a huntsman, as they wouldn't be found in bathtubs because they are arboreal, and would be found on a wall, or under a table, but there are many other different groups of wandering-type spiders besides wolf and huntsman. It could even be a spider from the abundent genus Tegenaria, which includes the European house spiders, and other funnel weavers, which are commonly found in bathtubs. In fact I think that's what genus it's from:).
20 February, 2002 Hi I found this guy in my bathtub tonight. He is a little bit bigger than a quarter. I live in San Francisco Bay Area, California. Do you know what kind of spider this is?
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Reply: 26 September, 2001: THIS AGAIN, is not a Wolf Spider. It is a Fishing Spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus perhaps. This is probably the largest Fishing Spider in the United States, with about a 3 inch leg pan total. Fishing Spiders do not burrow, though I like the person's method of attracting Wolf Spiders. Paul Day www.losingmylycosa.com
In your web page you asked for pics of spiders. Here is one from Michigan, USA of a rather large Wolf Spider. This male was over 55mm from leg tip to leg tip. They grow very large around here. I would keep them in my garden, as they would eat the pests without having to use pesticides. I would put up large plastic owls to keep the birds away to that my small hunters (the wolf spiders) would not be eaten. Wolf spiders make excellent garden protectors because they do not spin webs and generally run away if you shake the plant before trying to pick anything. To attract them, you can use a broom handle to dig 75mm deep holes at a 45 degree angle that they like to use as borrows. Putting these around valuable plants assures that they will stay bug free. - Mark
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