Please don’t underestimate yourself, or overestimate some of the ‘expert’ commentary on this site. Although there definitely are a number of experts that contribute regularly to this site, I am by no means one of them, certainly not when it comes to spiders anyway. What I have always liked about this site is that it encourages people to not only appreciate the bugs around them, but to learn more about them, and to pitch in when others have a question. We can all become ‘experts’ if work at it enough. You are the one who saw the spider and it appears you have done your homework, so go with your instincts.

I should have added P. apacheanus (and perhaps others) to my short list of possibilities, but I missed it and you didn’t. Identifying an insect or a spider from a photo is very often tricky, more so when you have to rely on other photos to do so. That’s why I seldom offer a definitive answer and I always look for several sources before I offer an identification for a creature that falls outside my comfort zone (in this case I probably came off sounding more confident than I really was). I completely agree with the point you make in your last post; the internet is a fantastic resource but mistakes do get made. Regarding your spider, your photo was a bit fuzzy and didn’t show all the features that could be relevant to making an identification (one photo seldom does), so you may never get an absolute answer unless you get some more photos or get a opportunity to examine a specimen more closely. In the meantime, go with your answer, it sounds pretty good to me. I really appreciate your effort and follow-up comments – my own education continues. Regards. K