possible false photo?
Dear Bug Man,
One more thing regarding your picture of the Brown Recluse spider bite. These pictures were also passed around in 2003 when I was in the Navy. It passed around our ship and everybody was frightened because there were reports of spider bites in my ship. I checked at this address :
http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/brownrecluse.asp
and it could be false photos. The last two pictures look computer rendered. thanks alot!
John
Hi John,
We post the images that people send to us. We are not fully convinced they are either genuine or a hoax.
WHAT IS THIS SPIDER??
I saw it last summer on my lilac bush after the blooms has past. I live in Medway MA.
Carin Cohen
Hi Carin,
Your diminutive spider is an Arrow-Shaped Micrathena.
¶ Posted 13 April 2006 § ‡ ° Bright Blue Bug!!!
Hello BugMan!!
I just came across your site was perusing google, and was blown away by these amazing photos. I have a photo of this incredible bug I saw in Indonesia and am wondering what the heck it is. I have so many pictures of amazing bugs, and also, one picture of this zigzag spider web which I have questions about. ZIGZAG spiderwebs…crazy, what advantage does it provide the spider to have a zigzag web?? I look forward to hearing from you, and please feel free to post for all of those bug lovers out there!!Also, just incase you’re interested, I’m from Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada, and someone there has put a camera in a tree, and so right now it’s capturing a LIVE feed of an Eagle sitting on 2 eggs which are expected to hatch at the end of the month!! Enjoy!!!
Stephanie Pickering
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks for resending with the images. Your Indonesian bug is a Slug Caterpillar in the Family Limacodidae. We have several interesting North American species including the Saddleback Caterpillar and the Stinging Rose Caterpillar. Those spines do contain an irritating chemical that stings. Your spider is some species of Argiope, probably a Silver Argiope, but your photo lacks necessary detail. The zigzag pattern is known as a Stabilimentum and is believed to be a type of camouflage for the spider. These spiders are sometimes called Writing Spiders.
¶ Posted 08 April 2006 § ‡ ° 6 Legged Spider??!!
Dear Bugman
This was on our beach chair on an island in The Maldives in February, can you tell me what sort of Spider this is? I’m assuming it’s lost 2 legs ! I’ve got 3 pictures but they’re too large to send together so this is 1 of 3 …. Many thanks,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
We can’t be more specific than that this is a Huntsman Spider or Giant Crab Spider. They are hunting spiders that do not build webs, and are generally not fond of brightly lit locations. We are guessing it had taken shelter in the chair and was surprised suddenly to be sunbathing.
¶ Posted 07 April 2006 § ‡ ° Aloha
Dear Whatsthatbug,
I’ve recently returned from Oahu, Hawaii, where I found this 3 inch web-less spider sitting still behind a door for a few days. It caught my attention because of its size, and because it has, to me, the likeness of a Hawaiian-mask on its back. A quick internet search revealed nothing, to my surprise. What is it?
Thank you!
What an excellent photo of a male Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria.
¶ Posted 06 April 2006 § ‡ ° What’s that bug? Spider from Kauai, Hawaii
My wife and I enjoyed looking at the spider pictures and explanations on your website. I wonder — can you tell me what this huge spider is? We spotted it in the bathroom of the condo where we were staying in Kauai, HI. This one was probably about 7 inches in diameter (comparable in size to a softball). Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Phil & Julie Hamlin
Hi Phil and Julie,
This is a male Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria, also known as a Banana Spider. It is one of the Giant Crab Spiders and has a nearly worldwide distribution in warm port cities. Its favorite food consists of cockroaches.
¶ Posted 04 April 2006 § ‡ ° third and final unknown for the day
This is the third unknown object found on a japanese maple today in Memphis, Tennessee. Is this an egg sac? It’s about an inch long and is suspended by a thin thread that spanned at least a foot between 2 branches.
Thanks,
Tim
Hi Tim,
This is a Spider Egg Sac. We have an old text that identifies eggs of this type as belonging to Cyclosa bifurca, but we believe that name may have been changed.
Correction
November 28, 2010
Today we received a new identification request which led us on an identification search on BugGuide that ended with a new identification for this egg sac configuration: the Basilica Spider, Mecynogea lemniscata.
A Golden Huntsman, I presume? It was haunting the Ladies Room of our campground in Arches National Park, UT. Anyway, I think I got great contrast with the white painted wall & thought you may be able to use it. Let me know if was not correct in my ID.
Thanks!
Robert M.
Hi Robert,
You are correct. This is a Golden Huntsman Spider. We understand that Huntsman Spiders often haunt dark damp places, but why were you haunting the woman’s restroom, and with a camera no less?
¶ Posted 31 March 2006 § ‡ ° 
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