Wasp hovering over paralyzed spider
Location: Kisantu, Congo
May 14, 2012 2:24 pm
Dear Bugman,
We found a wasp guarding a spider that was upside down and looked dead. Did this wasp attack the spider and can you tell us was species they are ?
Signature: Katy and her dad
Probably Spider Wasp and Orbweaver
Dear Katy and her dad,
The behavior you describe is very consistent with that of a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae. Spider Wasps prey upon spiders not to eat, but to provide food for their young. A female Spider Wasps stings the spider and paralyzes it, but doesn’t kill it. That way the spider remains alive and fresh and provides a living meal for the developing wasp larva. Spider Wasps are often very family specific when it comes to their prey. Your was appears to be a Spider Wasp, and the description on BugGuide includes: “Typically dark colored with smoky or yellowish wings; a few are brightly colored. Slender with long and spiny legs, hind femora typically extending beyond tip of abdomen.” These are characteristics of the wasp in your photo. Based on the eye pattern which is pictured here on BugGuide, we believe your spider is an Orbweaver in the family Araneidae. Exact species identifications are not possible at this time.
Probably Orbweaver
Majestic Spider
Location: Tunica Falls in Mississippi
May 11, 2012 11:07 pm
My friend and I stumbled upon this spider when we were on a hiking trip. She nearly walked right into it! It was huge and very fuzzy, but as you can tell from the picture, also very beautiful. I don’t know much about spiders , but I’ve never seen one like this. I’d really like to know what kind it is. Thanks!
Signature: curious hiker
Possibly WhiteBanded Fishing Spider
Dear curious hiker,
We are relatively certain that this majestic spider is one of the Nursery Web Spiders in the family Pisauridae, a group known for the pronounced maternal care of the eggs and young spiderlings, however, we are not certain about the species. We believe this is a member of the genus Pisaurina because of the white markings, however, there are some inconsistencies including the jagged line to the markings on the abdomen and that the markings seem to circle the head area as opposed to being more like stripes. We would not entirely overrule that this might be one of the Fishing Spiders in the genus Dolomedes like the Six Spotted Fishing Spider. Here are two photos from BugGuide for comparison: Pisaurina brevipes and Pisaurina mira. We will try to get another opinion.
Eric Eaton responds
Daniel:
I’m pretty certain it is a Dolomedes, but after that I’m not positive. Lots of variation in markings in that genus. Mississippi would be where a lot of species overlap in range, too.
Eric
Update: May 12, 2012
We think a very likely candidate might be the White Banded Fishing Spider, Dolomedes albineus. This photo on BugGuide shares many similarities and the description on BugGuide reads: “Generally an ID can be made by the white band along the ‘face’ (clypeus).”
New Phiddipus jonsoni (male)
Location: Ventura, California, USA
May 11, 2012 5:59 pm
Hi! I’m the one who sent in the pictures of Ruby (the female) last year, and I’m happy to say I caught another near my apartment in Ventura. I’m sure it’s male, it has some markings but they aren’t as clear as Ruby’s were. He’s happily living in Ruby’s old enclosure, which to my luck I had finally cleaned barely a week before finding him. I’ve had him for about 2 months now, he’s quite active and loves his cricket meals. I got a new phone with a better camera so I can finally share better pictures.
Signature: California Spider Lover again 
Johnson Jumper
Dear California Spider Lover,
Thanks so much for your follow-up report. Please note that the scientific name for the Johnson Jumper contains an “h” and is spelled Phiddipus johnsoni.
Black Widow spider
Location: Barnegat, NJ
May 9, 2012 10:10 pm
We have found many Black Widows in our back yard, and even though we have 2 medium sized dogs, we are not concerned at all with the spiders since we learned how much they just want to be left alone and are not aggressive at all. It seems like you mostly have to be looking for them in order to find them (under rocks, logs, etc.), and even when they are discovered, they have to have their lives threatened before they’ll bite. Otherwise, they are incredibly docile.
The 1st Black Widow spider we found was still a juvenile, and still had the red dots down its back. We kept it in a container for just one night before we released it into the woods far away from the neighborhood the next morning. In just that one night, it shed its exoskeleton! We kept the shedding in the container.
About 2 months later, right around Halloween, we found a very large mature Black Widow spider, and did the same thing — kept it in the same container as the 1st one before releasing it into the same woods later on that day. Before releasing both spiders, we (of course) took pictures.
The picture I’m attaching is of the 2nd, larger spider, with the shedding of the younger, smaller spider dangling above it. We were fascinated to see how you can easily see the outline of the fangs on the shedding!
We have since tried to let people know how these spiders get such a bad rap for unfair reasons, but not many are convinced. Fear has been ingrained deeply in some!
Hope you enjoy this macro shot for your wonderful site!
Signature: Thy Cavagnaro
Northern Black Widow
Hi Again Thy,
Thank you for sending in your photo of a mature Northern Black Widow. Like your previous submission, we are tagging this with the Bug Humanitarian Award. You are correct. Black Widows are docile spiders that rarely leave their webs and they are not aggressive. They are feared and reviled by so many folks who would much rather exterminate than learn anything of their habits. We once had one living near an outdoor light outside of our Los Angeles office and the spider would hide by day and come out at night where she fed on moths and other insects attracted to the light.
Fisher Spider?
Location: NE Ohio
May 5, 2012 9:58 am
Based on other photos on the site, I’m thinking this is a fisher spider. We caught her in the basement and liberated her out by our little pond. She’s a beauty!
Signature: Frances
Fishing Spider
Hi Frances,
We agree that this is a Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes. These are large spiders and many people are frightened by their fierce appearance, but we have never received a report of anyone being bitten by a Fishing Spider and they are not considered to be dangerous. We are tagging your email with our Bug Humanitarian Award thanks to your decision to catch and release rather than to stomp or swat. We hope your letter will help to increase our readership’s awareness of the beneficial species that often fall prey to irrational human fears.
What kind of spider?
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas
April 29, 2012 1:25 pm
Dear Bugman, We found this spider in a plastic bag in a drawer. Can you identify it? Many thanks!
Signature: Jacob Adler
Nursery Web Spider
Hi Jacob,
The manner in which this spider keeps its front legs together as well as the general shape of the spider indicates it is a Nursery Web Spider, Pisaurina mira. The markings are atypical of most images of this species we receive, however, there is a photo on BugGuide that matches your individual.
Easter Egg Spider
Location: San Fernando Valley, California
April 25, 2012 3:33 am
This little lady – I’m assuming its a lady – interrupted our Easter festivities. After a good deal of floundering and some heebie jeebies (I don’t have a good relationship with spiders) we managed to shoo her off into the garden. We’re curious to what she is, though, she almost looks like an Easter Egg herself. I have not tried searching the internet because I am arachnaphobic.
Signature: Cautiously Curious
Brown Widow
Dear Cautiously Curious,
In our opinion, this is a Brown Widow, an introduced species that might bite, though it is not considered as dangerous as the Black Widow. See BugGuide for additional information.
Thank you for the quick response. There was an orange hourglass on her side – one of us wondered if she was an albino black widow, but that didn’t seem right. I’d never heard of brown widows before – looks like we’re lucky she put up with our efforts to move her, even if she’s not as lethal as a black widow.
Green Spider
Location: Vail, AZ
April 23, 2012 5:28 pm
Hi,
I found this one inside a Prickly Pear cactus flower. The extra hair on the legs makes me think it’s a Grateful Dead fan, or perhaps those help with climbing.
Thank you,
Signature: Carl
Green Lynx Spider
Hi Carl,
This distinctive spider is a Green Lynx Spider, a hunting spider that does not snare insects with a web. Green Lynx Spiders often wait in blossoms for pollinating insects. The extra legs are the pedipalps and their size indicates this is a male Green Lynx Spider.
rss
I like This
