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Golden Orbweaver

Golden Orb Weaver
Location: Wilmington, NC
November 22, 2011 2:20 pm
I just wanted to share a pic of a beautiful spider with you. From the other pics on your site, I think she is a Golden Orb Weaver. She lived in our bushes for a while and then moved into the eave of the house next door. I’m generally scared to death of spiders, but I learned a lot from watching her.
Signature: Bridget

golfen orbweaver bridget 300x234 Golden Orbweaver

Golden Orbweaver

Dear Bridget,
This gorgeous Golden Orbweaveris also called a Writing Spider because of the zigzag stabilimentum that she spins into her web, presumably to help camouflage her from predators.  She is enjoying a nice meal, but we cannot determine the identity of her prey.  We also want to let our readers know that before we cropped your photo, it was dated August 11, 2011.

golden orbweaver bridget 2 300x230 Golden Orbweaver

Golden Orbweaver

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Posted 24 November 2011 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (2) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Wolf Spider with Spiderlings

Spider Carrying Babies on Abdomen
Location: Northern Utah
November 20, 2011 9:23 pm
I took a wonderful picture of a large brown spider with hundereds of babies on her back. I’m just curious as to what kind it is.
It doesn’t look like a wolf/recluse spider because is had a white stripe going up its head between its two largest eyes.
Signature: Cloudiie

wolf spider spiderlings cloudiie 300x260 Wolf Spider with Spiderlings

Wolf Spider with Spiderlings

Hi Cloudiie,
To the best of our knowledge, among spiders this type of maternal behavior is limited to Wolf Spiders, though among Arachnids, Scorpions also transport their young.  Wolf Spiders are harmless.  We believe this may be a Rabid Wolf Spider, though your sighting is further west that those indicated on BugGuide.

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Posted 21 November 2011 § Wolf Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °

Jumping Spider

Spider identification
Location: Southern California
November 20, 2011 10:48 pm
Saw this spider by our doorbell. I live in Southern California never seen a spider like this before just really curious what kind it is? hope you can help, thank you in advance! icon smile Jumping Spider
Signature: Audrey A

phidippus formosus audrey 300x213 Jumping Spider

Jumping Spider

Hi Audrey,
Each time we receive a photo of this Southern California Jumping Spider, we go through the same quandary.  Our favorite source for Los Angeles area identifications is Charles Hogue’s Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, and this species is called a Red Jumping Spider, Phidippus formosus.  Our favorite internet site for identifications, BugGuide, does not recognize that as a species or it is underrepresented.  BugGuide identifies a very similar looking species as Phidippus adumbratus.  At any rate, this is a Jumping Spider, and they are harmless.  Jumping Spiders have excellent eyesight.

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Posted 21 November 2011 § Jumping Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Golden Silk Spider from Namibia

Namibian arthropods
Location: Namibia (see above)
November 15, 2011 12:44 pm
Can you please name these.All pictures were taken in April 2011 in Namibia.
The cricket was taken in the Etendeke Mountain camp close to Palmwag. The other 2 images were taken at Durstenbruck farm north of Windhoek.
Signature: Roger Pinkney

nephila senegalense roger 300x220 Golden Silk Spider from Namibia

Banded-Legged Golden Orb-Web Spider

Dear Roger,
Your photos are beautiful, but this is a tall order.  We identified this Golden Silk Spider in the genus Nephila quite quickly, however, we expect your other arthropods will take more time.  We have always called spiders in the genus Nephila Golden Silk Spiders because their very strong webs are spun of golden silk.  We have a single new world species, Nephila clavipes.  We found Nephila senegalense pictured on the Spider Club of Southern Africa website, and armed with that name, we found this beautiful stamp on the Stamp Collectors Catalogue.  We will attend to your other identification requests in the morning.

stamp tchad nephila senegalense 199x300 Golden Silk Spider from Namibia

Tchad Stamp with Nephila senegalense

Dear Daniel, Many thanks for your 3 messages and all the details they contain. I’m not e-maiing from Namibia but from the U.K. but the delay in responding is because we don’t have the computer on daily. I’ve attached to this message 2 more photos not for identification as I believe they are of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth Caterpiller but I hoped you  might like to see them or use them.
I wonder however if I may submit 2 further pictures for identification, again both taken in Namibia.
Kind regards, Roger.

Hi again Roger,
We will try our best to identify anything you send to us if time allows.  Our readership enjoys reading about details surrounding particular sightings, and that is what your original email was lacking because you attached three completely different and unrelated (except for being from Namibia) creatures.  In the future, please limit the attached photos to a single species per email and please use our standard form.  If you can recall the time of year, time of day or any other relevant details, that would be wonderful.  You may also add details regarding the three previous photos by attaching comments to the postings we have already made.

Posted 16 November 2011 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °

Unknown Orbweaver

orb spider?
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
November 14, 2011 12:33 am
I’m having trouble identifying this guy. it appears to be an orb spider, but I’m hoping you can pinpoint it.
Signature: -Brian A.

araneus brian 300x208 Unknown Orbweaver

Unknown Orbweaver

Hi Brian,
Many Orbweavers are highly variable.  We are uncertain of the exact species but we are confident that this is a member of the genus Araneus.  See BugGuide for the possibilities.

Posted 15 November 2011 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) °

Tarantula from the Sierra Nevada Foothills

Tarantula, I believe
Location: Sierra Nevada foothills, northern California, at 2400 ft.
November 14, 2011 9:51 am
I found this approximately 1” spider in my bathroom last week (early November). I believe it is a Tarantula, but was amazed, as I am not sure how he got in, and we do get wet weather and occasional winter snow. I thought they were only found in hot, dry climates in California. Can you identify?
Signature: Rhonda L.

tarantula rhonda 300x214 Tarantula from the Sierra Nevada Foothills

California Tarantula

Dear Rhonda,
Even at high altitudes, much of California is arid.  It is our understanding that North American Tarantulas are in the genus Aphonopelma.  According to BugGuide:  “The Aphonopelma of North American are poorly known. Although many species have been described few specimens can be properly identified either by using available keys or by wading through species descriptions . Most identifiable specimens belong to species found in Mexico or Central America that are easily recognized by unique color patterns, such as that of A. seemanni . Correct identification of specimens collected within the United States is often suspect since determinations must be based on the process of elimination using collection dates and locality data in combination with coloration, coxal setation, and metatarsal scopulation .”

tarantula rhonda 2 300x206 Tarantula from the Sierra Nevada Foothills

Tarantula

So, you agree this is a Tarantula (not a Trapdoor?).  Thank you.     R. Lawrence

Yes we do, but we would always defer to a true expert.

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Posted 15 November 2011 § Tarantulas and Trapdoor Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °

Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

Deceased huntsman spider with unknown wasp
Location: Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, about 1km away from the pacific ocean.
November 13, 2011 11:45 pm
Hey, I got these series of pictures and this video outside on a warm summers day, on the 14th November, 2011. A warm summer summer in November must mean the southern hemisphere, indeed this image is taken on the eastern suburbs, in Sydney, Australia, about 1km away from the ocean.
Im fairly sure the spider is an huntsman spider but I do not know about the wasp. Does it normally prey on spiders and other large insects ? Where does it nest, and does it pose a threat to humans ?
(I live with my grandparents, and to say they are squeamish about insects is an understatement)
EDIT : I realized that the wasp has been featured previously on this site, however, I shall share these high resolution (if you think they are) images of what I found. I also catch huntsman spiders inside my home and release them too. I shall attach those too, if you wish to share them.
I hope you find the images to be of reasonable quality and I hope they will be useful for your site. You may repost/embed the video to your site too, if you wish.
Signature: Sufyan

spider wasp huntsman australia sufyan 300x206 Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

Hi Sufyan,
We actually have this particular Food Chain drama posted to our website several times including this recent posting of a Spider Wasp and its Huntsman Spider prey.  We believe the Spider Wasp is Cryptocheilus bicolor, but we do not feel confident trying to identify the Huntsman Spider to the species lever because there are so many Huntsman Spiders in Australia.

spider wasp huntsman australia sufyan 2 300x206 Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

Spider Wasps are solitary wasps, and a female provisions the nest with paralyzed spiders for her brood.  The adult Spider Wasps feed upon pollen, and only the larval wasps are carnivores, but they are unable to hunt for themselves.  It is important to realize that this Huntsman Spider is paralyzed, not dead.  A dead spider would soon dry out, making it an unacceptable food for the larvae.  By paralyzing the Huntsman Spider, the living spider supplies the larval wasp with fresh meat.  The larva feeds upon non-vital meat first so that the spider is literally eaten alive.  Since the nest is underground and we have received so many images of this particular Spider Wasp scaling walls while dragging a large paralyzed Huntsman Spider, we have deduced that the Spider Wasp is unable to take off from the ground with such a heavy payload, but by climbing to gain altitude, it is able to fly or glide towards its burrow with the heavy Spider in tow.  Spider Wasps are not aggressive, though we suspect they may sting if provoked or carelessly handled.

spider wasp huntsman australia sufyan 3 300x206 Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

Spider Wasp preys upon Huntsman Spider

 

 

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Posted 14 November 2011 § Huntsman Spiders § spider wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

Sowbug Killer

Painting the town red!
Location: Southcoastal Massachusetts
November 13, 2011 12:35 pm
This spider was in my wood pile amongst MANY others.The reddish and two-toned coloring seemed odd. Recently I encountered another with a very different shape (not round abdomen) that was even more intese color red(unfortunately that one was not around long enough to pose for a pick) My question is what spiders are red and do spiders change colors depending on what they eat, environment, embarrassment etc?
Signature: Afraid of my wood pile:(

sowbug killer connecticut 300x225 Sowbug Killer

Sowbug Killer

Dear Afraid of my wood pile,
The spider in the photo is a Sowbug Killer or Woodlouse Hunter, Dysdera corcata.  The bite of a Sowbug Killer is not considered dangerous, but it is possible that it may cause local tenderness.  Many spiders are red, and without a photo, it is difficult to speculate.  Sometimes spiders change color when they molt.  In your area, the only potentially dangerous spiders are the Widow Spiders.

Posted 13 November 2011 § Sow Bug Killers ‡ Comments (0) °

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