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Huntsman Spider from Netherlands

spider
Location: Ede, The Netherlands
August 23, 2011 2:04 am
This spider was spotted in the Netherlands last Saturday (20th of August). Including its legs it was about the same size as a streched out hand. I’ve never seen anything like this before, that’s for sure!
Signature: Hello!

heteropoda netherlands 300x259 Huntsman Spider from Netherlands

Male Huntsman Spider

This appears to us to be a male Huntsman Spider, Heteropoda venatoria, a mainly tropical species that sometimes is introduced to cooler climates because of shipments of bananas and other items.  They are not dangerous despite their large size and frightening appearance.  They are nocturnal hunters that will prey upon cockroaches.

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your swift reply! It sure is reassuring to know it only eats cockroaches! icon smile Huntsman Spider from Netherlands
Kind regards,
Ruben Maas

Hi Ruben,
They will prey upon more than just Cockroaches, though that seems to be a favorite prey for them.

Hi Daniel,
I meant reassuring more in the way that it would not prey on me while I sleep. Most indiginous spiders here are the size of a fingernail, not an entire hand, hence my discomfort icon wink Huntsman Spider from Netherlands
Cheers, Ruben

In many tropical countries, they are allowed to live in the house.  We imagine in The Netherlands, they might not survive the winter outside, but it might survive the winter indoors.  Your individual is a male, as evidenced by his large pedipalps, so you don’t need to worry about him laying eggs and being overrun with Huntsman Spiders.  If we were you, we would make him a pet.  Just warn your visitors who your newest roommate is.

Posted 23 August 2011 § Huntsman Spiders and Giant Crab Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Six Spotted Fishing Spider eats Tadpole

fishing spider??
August 22, 2011 10:17 am
i posted pics to your facebbok page and have tried 3 time s unsuccessfully ot send them to you on here, it wont upload them. its a green spider, in the water and it had grabbed a tiny tadpole out of the water. its beena  couple of months since i posted them! wondering if you can help!
Signature: BIBEF

we do not check the facebook pages.  We reserve that as an open forum.  We only post letters that come to our website directly.  We are very curious about the photos of the spider you describe and we would love to see the photos.  Your aphid photos did arrive correctly.  Try attaching the spider photos to this response and please add all the information on the sighting, like location and date.
Thanks

hope it works this way, i have seen spiders near water, but never IN the water. the one pic is a good one of the spider, you can see its feet pressing on the surface of the water, and the second which sadly came out blurry, you can see the tadpole it grabbed out of the water in its mouth. i was only able to get the one with te tadpole and almost fell in the pond trying to get that one, so thats why only the blurry one! ive look ed at fishing spiders on your site and they dont really look like this one, but that could just be me!!

dolomedes triton bibef 300x242 Six Spotted Fishing Spider eats Tadpole

Six Spotted Fishing Spider

Dear Bibef,
We are very happy we requested you to resend these photos.  Other letters from you have come from Ohio.  Is this also Ohio?  This is definitely a Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes, and we have identified it as a Six Spotted Fishing Spider, Dolomedes triton.  We have some old images in our archives, including these images from Louisiana, and this image from Florida,  but your image is the only we have received depicting a food chain image with aquatic prey.

dolomedes triton tadpole bibef 300x225 Six Spotted Fishing Spider eats Tadpole

Six Spotted Fishing Spider eats Tadpole

yes ohio, caesars creek state park to be exact, and thank you, fun finding out they come in a variety of colors!!

Posted 22 August 2011 § Amphibians § Nursery Web Spiders ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Spider Wasp attacks Wolf Spider

Some sort of spider wasp
Location: Bel Air, Maryland, U.S.A.
August 20, 2011 6:14 pm
I was coming back to the house from the garden. I walked around the corner and noticed a wasp fly up and away from a spider. I got to the door and it returned to the spider. I grabbed the camera and tried to get a couple shots. I couldn’t get very close without it flying off. So I snapped a picture from as close as I could get. The spider is pretty large, just slightly smaller than a quarter.
It was about 4 p.m. on August 20 near Bel Air, Maryland. Temperature was about 88F and it was rather humid since we’ve been having thunder storms pretty much ever evening.
I have a larger photo if it will help.
Signature: Greg in Maryland

spider wasp foodchain greg 300x231 Spider Wasp attacks Wolf Spider

Spider Wasp attacks Wolf Spider

Dear Greg,
We are very happy to be posting your thrilling photo to our Food Chain page.  You are correct that this is a Spider Wasp.  We have identified it as Tachypompilus ferrugineus based on photos posted to BugGuide.  Though the curled position of the spider does not permit us to be certain of its identity, we thought it must be either a Wolf Spider or a Funnel Web Spider, but the genus page for Tachypompilus on BugGuide indicates:  “Females provision nests mainly with Lycosids.”  That would indicate that the spider in your photo is a Wolf Spider.

Posted 22 August 2011 § spider wasps § Wolf Spiders ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Fishing Spider and Paper Wasp Nest

What’s That Arachnid/What’s That Wasp
Location: Central Alabama
August 20, 2011 8:35 am
Dear Bugman:
It is August in Alabama and I feel like I live in the Amazon. It’s hot, humid, and all of the giant spiders and bugs have come out to play. I found this spider in the corner of my porch next to some type of wasp nest. Could you help me identify both? Thank you!
Signature: Southern Belle Besieged By Bugs

dolomedes polistes nest 276x300 Fishing Spider and Paper Wasp Nest

Fishing Spider and Paper Wasp Nest

Dear Southern Belle BBB,
What a crazy photo this is.  The spider is a female Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes, and they are generally found not far from water.  The wasps are Paper Wasps in the genus Polistes.

Posted 20 August 2011 § Nursery Web Spiders § Paper Wasps ‡ Comments (0) °

Endangered Species: Rare Ladybird Spider from Slovenia

UNKNOWN BLACK SPIDER ORANGE HEAD
Location: Slovenia, Sezana
August 18, 2011 8:10 am
I found it outside near entrance of my flat on rainy day.
Thought it was a baby bird eater or something like that.
I made a terrarium and i feed it with grasshoppers.
It is a beautiful black spider with orange head. I call it Denis Rodman icon smile Endangered Species: Rare Ladybird Spider from Slovenia
It is about 5 cm big. While i was waiting to grow up spider got lot of little spiders.
Now i am quite afraid because i don’t know nothing about that spider and little ones can escape away from terrarium!
Maybe spider is poisonous and dangerous. I don’t believe that spider is common here! It looks more like some tropical spider. Cannot Google it!
Once you already helped me and i hope this time you can do it too because i don’t know what to do with all those little spiders.
Please help me ASAP because i am not sure if my family is in danger.
Lazar
Signature: Lazar Trivunovic

spider slovenia 300x267 Endangered Species: Rare Ladybird Spider from Slovenia

Ladybird Spider

Dear Lazar,
WE believe this may be an endangered and protected Ladybird Spider in the genus Eresus, family Eresidae, based on what we have uncovered on the Spiders of Northwest Europe website.  The colors and markings of your individual are different than those posted on the site, however, the shape of the spider and they arrangement of the eyes seems correct.  The website states:  “The female measures 15 – 20 mm and the male around 10 mm. The spider makes a tube of silk in the ground and with a roof of cribellate silk on the ground. The female and the not adult male are coloured black and velvet. The male spider only gets its colouring at his last change of skin. Then he leaves its home and starts wandering looking for a female. The male becomes adult in the autumn or in spring. Females can become four years old and never leave their hiding.   The spider makes one cocoon with eggs. At daytime they bring out their cocoon and let it warm in the sun. At night the cocoon is return in the hiding. The young spiders stay in the housing tube during the winter and stay with their mother for quite a long time. During this time they may change skin for six times. In spring the mother dies and is consumed by the young spiders.   This spider is very rare and protected in some countries.  Their habitat is often found on south-faced, sheltered, heathery slopes.”  You might want to contact your local natural history museum to see if they have a spider exhibit and can take this rarity off of your hands.  We found this matching photo on Flickr.  This photo from Arkive Images of Life on Earthcompares the male and female.  You have made a significant find and your efforts to raise the female and her brood in captivity have earned you tagging in our Bug Humanitarian Award category.  Please do what you can to ensure the survival of this endangered native spider.  The name Ladybird Spider is because of the bright coloration of the male which resembles a ladybug.  Back in 2006, we received a photo of a male Ladybird Spider from Spain.

ladybird spider slovenia lazar 300x235 Endangered Species: Rare Ladybird Spider from Slovenia

Female Ladybird Spider

Thank you very much!!!
This is amazing! All neighbours said that would kill that spider.
Happy that i saw it first. I knew in a second that spider was completely different from others. I took it to the local pet shop and owner said that is interesting spider and made me to do a home made terrarium.
I watch how she made a hiding in ground and silky entrance.
First this entrance was closed and i could see how she was moving around with orange cocoon.
Later spider made a hole in silk and now little spiders are moving around it.
All spiders are like mother but only about 4mm and light brown coloured.
This is a great story and excellent news. I am glad i could help this rare spider.
I will contact instantly people that could help me to save this specie.
I must be quite fast because i am not sure what little spider can eat.
Thank you very much and i will report you any further news.
Sincerely Lazar Trivunovic

Hi again Lazar,
We expect that with the maternal care given by female Ladybird Spiders, the mother may share her food with her progeny.  We love that you have provided us with a threat posture photo.  Seems she is fighting to defend her brood.  We are also very excited by your story and we were so grateful that you chose What’s That Bug? the only global identification site attempting to educate as many people as possible about the wonders of things that crawl.

Ed. Note:  Read more about the Ladybird Spider

Britain’s rarest spider ‘Ladybird Spider’ eats its mother

BBC Science & Nature – Wildfacts – Ladybird Spider


Posted 18 August 2011 § Ladybird Spiders ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:

Fishing Spider

AAARGGHH! We hope there aren’t more of them under the dock.
Location: Southeast Wisconsin, Lac La Belle Oconomowoc
August 17, 2011 9:35 pm
This REALLY big scary looking spider is the first of its kind ever noticed at this location – on the dock at Lac La Belle in Oconomowoc, WI. It waited all day near what we think is it’s web, seen in one photo with finger pointing at ?egg sack vs. dinner? We lake people are used to daddy-long-legs and other spider varieties and bugs of all kinds, but this specimen seems awfully exotic. Any ideas?
Signature: Delahunt Clan

dolomedes delahunt1 246x300 Fishing Spider

Fishing Spider with Nursery Web

Dear Delahunt Clan,
This magnificent specimen is a female Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes.  Many species are found near water and some species actively hunt aquatic prey, diving beneath the surface of the water, remaining under for extended periods of time and catching small fish or tadpoles.  Fishing Spiders are hunting spiders that do not build a web to snare prey, however, they are in the Nursery Web Spider family, and they build a web in a suitable location after carrying around the egg sack in their chelicerae or fangs.  When she finds a suitable location for her Nursery Web, the female spider will guard the eggs.  Thanks for sending us this wonderful documentation.  Fishing Spiders are not considered to be dangerous to humans, though we concede that they might bite, though we have never received a report of a person being bitten by a Fishing Spider.

dolomedes delahunt cu 277x300 Fishing Spider

Fishing Spider

Thanks so much for your prompt reply!
Our family has had a good time with this new adventure.
And as magnificent as this “specimen” truly is, we really really hope there aren’t more of them under the dock.
But now we know there probably are.  : )
Emily

Fishing Spiders are also known as Dock Spiders as indicated in this University of Minnesota Extension website posting.

 

Posted 18 August 2011 § Nursery Web Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °

Ant Mimic Jumping Spider

What is this insect?
Location: NE Ohio
August 16, 2011 4:10 pm
Hello, I am finding this bug in my home – mostly in the kitchen and bathroom. They are fast and seem pretty smart. Do you think it may be a carpenter ant of some sort?
Signature: Curious in Ohio

ant mimic jumping spider ohio 300x227 Ant Mimic Jumping Spider

Ant Mimic Jumping Spider

Dear Curious in Ohio,
This is a spider, not an insect.  It is an Ant Mimic Jumping Spider, Myrmarachne formicaria.  Jumping Spiders are hunting spiders that do not snare their prey.  They have excellent eyesight and can capture prey much larger than themselves, including flies.  BugGuide contains this very interesting fact regarding the range of this European introduction:  “The first specimen records of M. formicaria from North America have all been from Ohio, USA: from Warren, Trumble County on 16 August 2001; the J.H. Barrow Field Station, Portage County on 15 September 2002; and at a residence near Peninsula, Summit County.”

Posted 16 August 2011 § Jumping Spiders ‡ Comments (2) °

Spider Wasp attacks Spider in France

Ant-Wasp-Fly attacking and Killing spider!
Location: Pierrefeu, Alpes-Maritimes, France
August 14, 2011 9:25 am
Hello Bugman/woman,
I witnessed this brutal attack and wondered if you could identify both creatures.
The ”Ant-Wasp-Fly” insisted 3 times to chase the spider up a tree and knock it off and eventually managed to put the spider on its back and killed it.
Signature: brutal attack

do you have a higher resolution image?

spider wasp food chain france 300x248 Spider Wasp attacks Spider in France

Spider Wasp Paralyzes Spider

This was a screen shot of a 720p video (iPhone 4) of the attack. Is there any way I could ‘upload’ that to you?
Thanks!

Though we are hoping for a higher resolution image, we are nonetheless posting this great documentation of a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae stinging and paralyzing what appears to be a Wolf Spider.  The Spider Wasp does not eat the Spider it has preyed upon.  The Spider will provide food for a larval wasp and the female Spider Wasp will provision her nest with paralyzed Spiders so that her brood will have a supply of fresh meat.  Dead spiders would dry out, but the paralyzed spider is eaten alive, with the vital organs being eaten last.  Though the quality of this image is poor, we believe we have identified the wasp Arachnospila anceps based on a photo on the Commanster Pompilidae page.  That identification is further supported by the images posted on the Nature Conservation Imaging web page, but it should be noted that this black and red coloration pattern is not rare in Spider Wasps, and the individual in your photo may be another species.  We would still love a higher resolution image if one is available.

PS: I also saw this very similar insect a day later in the same area (see attachment). Maybe it is the same one as in the video link I sent..?

spider wasp france 300x206 Spider Wasp attacks Spider in France

Spider Wasp

Hi again Raphael,
Spider Wasps in the family Pompilidae take nectar as adults as opposed to feeding as predators.  This individual does look very much like the same species in the previously published image.

Posted 14 August 2011 § spider wasps § Wolf Spiders ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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