Spider Fangs and other great pictures… Best Tropical Orb Weaver pictures ever!
Hello! I have some pictures of a spider in my Orlando, FL backyard that I thought you might enjoy. She is (we believe) a Tropical Orb Weaver (Eriophora ravilla). One of the pictures is a pretty good shot of her fang as she is eating a cricket. She is pretty fat, and looks like she might be about ready to lay some eggs. I am sending pictures of her from many angles, to show the dull coloration on top, hints of bright colors from the side, and then beautiful reds and yellows and oranges on her underside (the camera’s flash really brings out her colors). Also, I think one of the unidentified spiders on your "spiders 2" page might also be a Tropical Orb Weaver (about 2/3 of the way down, "Orb Weavers" from Leslie in central Florida).
Best Regards,
Matthew

Hi Matthew,
Thanks for sending in your fabulous images and identification information.

more Argiope aurantia
Love your site.
I searched your spider pages and found the Argiope Aurantia on the top of the third spider page. Thought you might like to have another view. I was facinated by the tiny hairs on the legs, the colours and the "picture" of ET on his back. Even my Arachnophobic daughter thought it was beautiful, as long as I didn’t pick it up. It disapeared over night and I haven’t seen it since.
Jim Victor,
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

Hi Jim,
Thanks for sending us your photo of the Black and Yellow Orb Weaver, Argiope aurantia. Most people would agree that this is the most dramatic looking North American Spider.

For your site
Here is a tarantula from the Dominican Republic taken this past November. He was about six inches in length and we saw him on a sidewalk at night. I think his designs are beautiful!
Julie Ferwerda

Hi Julie,
Thanks for sending us your beautiful Dominican Tarantula.

Update: (01/06/2006)
ID on the Dominican Tarantula?
Hi Daniel and Lisa Anne,
I don’t in any way claim to be a spider expert, but the Dominican tarantula from 01/05/2007? I think it’s the same species as the one from Nevis whose picture I sent you 10/05/2006, in other words: Acanthoscurria antillensis Pocock, 1903. There a nice picture of one at:
http://www.spidy.goliathus.com/english/acanthoscurria-antillensis-id269.html
Very best to you,
Susan J. Hewitt

Wow Susan,
That was fast. Thanks for the information.

Update: (02/05/2007)
About ‘Donkey Spider from West Indies’
Hi again Daniel and Lisa Ann,
I was interested to see the Giant Crab Spider or Banana Spider (Olios sp.) from St. Kitts; images which R. Fields sent in on 1/25/2007. I vacation on Nevis each year and St. Kitts is the sister island, only 2 miles away. English names are notoriously unreliable, but I believe that the creature which is usually referred to on St. Kitts and Nevis as the ‘Donkey Spider’ is the Antillean Tarantula, (Acanthoscurria antillensis), which is furry and colored like a donkey. The image of the one I found on Nevis is on your Spider Page 8, listed as ‘Caribbean Tarantula (10/05/2006)’ and described as a Donkey Spider. On the same page there is an image of what is probably the same species, ‘Tarantula from Dominican Republic (01/05/2007)’. I believe that on St. Kitts and Nevis, the giant crab spider (Olios sp. of the Sparassidae) is usually called a ‘Banana Spider’ or a “Yellow Spider”. Of course the two species are not at all closely related, but they are the two biggest spiders on those islands, they both only come out at night, and so I suppose some people might confuse them one with the other. They both can bite if you hassle them enough, but neither is dangerous to people. Best,
Susan J. Hewitt

Velvet Ant… Not!!!
I loved reading all of the entries on your web page on velvet ants. I was probably in 4th grade, (I won’t tell you how many years ago that was)… and I came across what I now believe to be one of the dreaded Cow Killers. We’d been camping near Mt Palomar in SoCal, and while walking along the dusty road to the little store, I’d stepped on this weird looking bug. Having lifted my foot, I noticed my weight had no effect on this guy… so being the kid that I was, I tired unsuccessfully several times to turn him into miniature road-kill. I couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried to stomp him into mush, he (or actually, she) would just get up and start walking again. I was so intrigued by this little gal, I picked her up and carried her with me to the store, where the owner gave me a small jar to put her in. Well, somewhere between the car and home, she escaped, probably though one of the air holes I’d put in the lid. I did later learn in an encyclopedia (no World Wide Web back in 1965) that this was a velvet ant, and as a delicacy to tarantulas, they have a very hard armored exoskeleton. Apparently, I’m very lucky I didn’t get stung. The purpose for my note today, is that I saw the attached photo, and memories being what they are, I instantly thought of the velvet ant again. Well, I realized after a mental refresh, and visiting your web site — that this picture is not even close to being an ant. But, I thought I’d share this with you anyway. Here’s what is NOT a Velvet Ant… but a jumping spider.
Thanks,
Dave Radcliffe

Hi Dave,
Thanks for your anecdotes and also your Jumping Spider photo. We believe it is Phidippus cardinalis which can be found on BugGuide.

Spiders in Guam
I live in Guam and have these wonderful spiders living in my carport. I would like to know if the spider is male or female. Also, is the little one the offspring, rather than simply caught in the web? I hope these photos are clear enough. I’ve enjoyed watching two of these spiders grow from tiny to this size (approx 3.5 inches in span) in the course of five months, but others never seem to make it past infancy (or what I presume is infancy due to their size). Regards,
June Ameika

Hi June,
This is a pair of Argiope Spiders. The female is the larger of the two and the male shares her web. We did a google search of “Argiope Guam” and were led to a Wikipedia page describing and picturing Argiope appensa. Argiope appensa is one of at least three unrelated spiders commonly called Banana Spiders. According to Wikipedia: “Females reach a body length of up to 7cm and are strikingly black and yellow, while the brown males reach only about 2cm. [1] On Guam, where A. appensa is ubiquitous, it is frequently visited by Argyrodes argentatus. Locals there refer to A. appensa as banana spiders. Following the introduction of the brown tree snake and the subsequent extinction or near-extinction of many of the island’s small birds, spider populations on Guam exploded decreasing predation and competition. A. appensa is almost certainly one of the large species which were encountered there in vast numbers, much to his horror, by nature writer David Quammen (who is extremely arachnophobic) during his trip doing background research for the book The Song of the Dodo, as he vividly recalls therein.”

Big One!
Mornin’ Bugman,
This large an’ lovely critter was in the bathroom basin last evening struggling to escape the slippery slopes. Before retiring for the night, I placed a piece of rough cardboard in the sink and, when I checked first thing this morning, she was gone! Success without squirming on my part nor injury on the spider’s part was achieved. Of course, where she is now is the question of the day! From The Great Smoky Mountains…
R.G. Marion

Hi R.G.,
The Dolomedes Fishing Spiders can sure be frighteningly large. Thanks for the anecdote and wonderful accompanying image.