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spider in my shoe
Hi guys,
Here’s a spider that jumped out of my sandal when I put my foot into it. This was in January 2005 at the Serena park station in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. Thanks for your help!
Reisa Latorra

Hi Reisa,
Back in February 2006, we received two letters with images of spiders from Costa Rica and Ecuador. At that time, we identified them as Wandering Spiders. Eric Eaton wrote: “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.” We found a site with an image of Phoneutria fera, and the coloration is different, but the body shape is very similar.

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