Hey Daniel;
Came by with a specimen that came waltzing into my studio. It graciously allowed me to catch it, although I don’t know how much air it will need…it’s in a Tupperware container on your porch…
WHAT’S THAT SPIDER?!?!?
California Trapdoor Spider
Last night, we arrived home from work to find a food container on the front porch with this gorgeous male California Trapdoor Spider, Bothriocyrtum californicum, inside. Seems our Mount Washington neighbor had him wander into her backyard studio which we learned upon checking our email. The unseasonal October rains have triggered the mating instinct of the male California Trapdoor Spiders and is causing them to wander about in search of mates. After posing for this photo this morning, we are releasing this randy guy in a vacant lot around the corner.
2 inch black spider with brown abdomen
October 15, 2009
This spider crawled over my wife’s foot. It’s about 2 inches long, shiny black with a brown slightly furry abdomen. It’s mid October here in LA and we just had a rather large rainstorm, the first of the season, possibly it tried to escape into the house? We let him go right after we took the picture.
Syd
Los Angeles California
Male California Trapdoor Spider
Hi Syd,
This is a male California Trapdoor Spider, Bothriocyrtum californicum. Each year, the first rains of the season trigger the mating instinct of the male California Trapdoor Spider who leaves his burrow and wanders in search of a mate. This species is sexually dimorphic. Sadly, the male spiders often wander into backyard swimming pools and drown. Interestingly, our Mount Washington Los Angeles neighbor Jeanie left a tupperware on our porch last night. There is a male California Trapdoor Spider in that tupperware. We were waiting for morning light to take our own photo to create a posting. According to Charles Hogue, in his awesome Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, “Trapdoor spiders are novelties in the Los Angeles Basin today, although they were commonplace a few years ago. They were even collected and sold as curios in the Los Angeles area at the beginning of the twentieth century. Their rarity now is another example of human expansion destroying the habitat of a local animal. The spider prefers to build its nest on sunny south-facing dry hillsides, which in the spring bear a thick covering of short grasses and low herbs. Such areas are becoming increasingly rare in the basin (they are also the habitat of our local tarantulas, and both types of spiders can be found living on the same hillsides).”
Male California Trapdoor Spider
Is it a Spider or a Beetle?
October 13, 2009
About 2cm long, less than 1cm at the widest part
KC
Salem Ohio
Arrowshaped Micrathena
Hi KC,
This is a spider known as the Arrowshaped Micrathena, Micrathena sagittata.
Orange and Green Spider
October 11, 2009
I found this spider ON MY 8 MONTH OLD DAUGHTER! I have seen similar spiders outside our home at night but without the green diamond on the body. I live in Miami, Florida, USA. Please identify this spider so I can either find an exterminator or leave my worries behind!
Cristi Cuadrado
Miami, Florida, USA
Orbweaver: Araneus detrimentosus
Hi Cristi,
We quickly identified your spider as Araneus detrimentosus, a harmless Orbweaver, on BugGuide. While we would hesitate to claim that this spider will never bite, we have not gotten any reports of anyone being bitten by a member of the genus Araneus. If the spider was on your daughter, it was undoubtedly a chance encounter. We would not trouble with an exterminator in this instance, and we truly believe that exposure to pesticides at a tender age would be far more detrimental to your daughter than facing the extremely unlikely odds that this spider, which is not very well represented in images and is probably not terribly common, will bite your daughter or a member of the family.
Spined Micrathena
October 6, 2009
Dearest Bugman,
I just wanted to share a photo of this fashionable spider I found at my friend’s grandmother’s house on 8/16/09. I’m pretty sure it’s a Spined Micrathena.
shutterbug
Celina, OH
Spined Micrathena
Hi shutterbug,
Thanks for sending us your photo of a Spined Micrathena. We posted an image earlier today, and it is very nice to have another recent example for comparison.
Black horned spider
October 6, 2009
This beauty is spinning away in my side yard. She has a preportionally huge black abdomen with horns and light colored markings on it. The underside is cone-shaped and ridged.
Jennnifer In Nyack
Nyack, NY
Spined Micrathena
Dear Jennifer,
Your spider is a Spined Micrathena, Micrathena gracilis, a harmless Spiny Orbweaver.
Giant lynx spider with egg-sac?!!
October 5, 2009
Hi,
I found this HUGE lynx spider at my aunts house last week. It was guarding what looked like an egg sac. The spider was about an inch long, with large mandibles, and big, hairy legs. The egg sac was about half the size of a gum ball, but shaped like a gumdrop, with a flat bottom and a domed top. The outside was golden brown, and looked like curly wool. I thought you guys would like to see these pictures since you don’t have any showing an egg sac. I hope you enjoy these shots. Keep up the good work.
Josh Kouri
Green Lynx Spider with Egg Sac
Hi Josh,
Thanks so much for sending in your photos of a Green Lynx Spider with its egg sac. We actually have images buried in our archives of female Green Lynx Spiders guarding their eggs.
Green Lynx Spider guarding Egg Sac
Hasarius Andansoni
September 30, 2009
Okay, so I did send this little woman in for identification, but I went further and started to look more on my own. This is a female Andanson’s House Jumping spider. It took me a while to find because it isn’t a native species, but rather has been imported from somewhere in Asia. (I am not sure where specifically.) I don’t really expect you all to post this, but I figured you might like the photograph of this little spider to be identified, and seeing as to how you don’t always have the time… (Kudos for all that you do identify, not really sure how you do everything that you do.) Thanks for your time, and of course I shall be continuing to follow this page for anything unidentified to try and help out where I can.
Lttlechkn… Tina
Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Jumping Spider: Hasarius andansoni
Hi Tina,
We always say that getting our attention in the subject line is key to getting us to read letters. That holds especially true for scientific names that we do not recognize. With that said, we are thrilled to post your photo of an exotic Jumping Spider not endemic to Hawaii. While we do not feel we have the necessary skills to accurately confirm or deny your identification, we can correct an error in your typing of the scientific name. The genus name, or first name in the binomial, is capitalized. The species name, or second name in the binomial, is always lower case. Thanks so much for your submission and also your persistence in resubmitting your image with an identification.
Golden Orb Weaver?
September 24, 2009
I just found this beautiful spider (about three inches long including the legs)… s/he built a web in the mint in my front yard. Am I right in guessing this is a golden orb weaver?
Heather in IN
Bloomington, IN
Banded Garden Spider
Hi Heather,
Your spider is not a Golden Orbweaver, but another species in the same genus, the Banded Garden Spider.
Green Spider, Red and White Patterned Back
September 25, 2009
Hi there! Found this beauty on my porch in July 2009 in Southern NJ. Haven’t seen him before or since. Pattern is really cool, haven’t been able to find anything about him here or online.
MYP in NJ
Southern NJ
Araneus cingulatus
Dear MYP,
It is quite unfortunate that this lovely green Orbweaver, Araneus cingulatus, does not have a common name. You can see additional images on BugGuide.
Golden Silk Spider from Mexico
September 25, 2009
Hi!
I just moved to a new house and it’s not on downtown so there’s a lot of vegetation and bugs.. I have found lots of this spiders and browsing your site i get to the conlusion that’s a Nephila clavipes, am i right? hehe well, I have my sister and my newborn nephew living with us and i want to know if this spider can be a danger for the little baby.. I never found one of this inside the house, they’re always in their spiderweb and I must say: That’s a strong spiderweb!! … I killed 2 of this on my garden the day I moved in but on an impulse of fear (you know, i’m not familiar with insects)… now.. if they’re not dangerous maybe i can live with that … because a new one showed up today and his web is amazing and I don’t want to kill her (it’s a female, right?) and excuse me for being such a coward, but my sister was very very scared of this
Guillermo Medina
Fortin, Veracruz, Mexico (Gulf of mexico)
Golden Silk Spider
Hola Guillermo,
Your identification is correct, and you have nothing to fear regarding the Golden Silk Spider. They are harmless to humans, but they will help to control flying insects that might be a problem, like mosquitoes and biting flies. We would encourage you to educate your sister and to live in harmony with these beautiful spiders. Yes, their webs are incredibly strong.
Cool article: cloth spun from spider’s silk
September 23, 2009
Hi WTB–
I thought you might enjoy this article–beautiful cloth woven from silk that was harvested from orb weaver spiders.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/spider-silk/
JJR
Dear JJR,
We should have some very old postings in our archive on textiles woven from the silk of the Golden Silk Spiders in the genus Nephila. Thanks for the awesome link.
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