Spiders and a Moth from Costa Rica

bugman

February 26th, 2006 at 1:00 am

Categories

Moths

foreign bugs
Hi Bugman -
Your site is great! It looks like you are getting many foreign bugs now – so here are some from my recent trip to Costa Rica, bug paradise. A really cool spider that I think is a Micrathena, a huge wolf spider that I found in my bed when I woke up one morning (first I screamed, then I grabbed my camera) and one of the many beautiful moths I saw. Thanks again for all your great work,
Allison

Hi Allison,
All of your photographs are stunning. We agree with your Micrathena identification. The Wolf Spider might be a Wolf Spider, and we do not recognize the beautiful Moth.

Update: Eric Eaton just provided us with the following information. ” Ok, the spiders from Ecuador and Costa Rica: They are most likely NOT wolf spiders, but wandering spiders, either in the family Ctenidae or Sparassidae. They tend to be more common, and even larger than, wolf spiders in the tropics. At least one species, Phoneutria fera, is extremely aggressive, with potentially deadly venom. Do not mess with large spiders in Central and South America! The venomous types are very difficult to distinguish from harmless species, and in any event, a bite is going to be really painful. These spiders sometimes stow away in bananas, houseplants, and other exported goods, so they can show up in odd places. Be careful where you put your hands:-) Oh, the lovely yellow moth is probably some kind of noctuid, which narrows it down to only several thousand species. Just thought I’d help you out there:-) Take care. Eric”