“Illegal” spiter at Port of Miami
Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 8:53 AM
Hi Bugman:
Found this spider in a container of crushed aluminum cans inbound from El Salvador at the port of Miami, the body is approximately 1 inch. The spider does not show aggression at all. I know that identifying spiders is not easy, but I do not want to send her to the extension service in alcohol, so your help is in appreciated it for the safe release of the spider. Just want your opinion if it is safe to release.
Roberto
Miami, FL
Huntsman Spider
Hi Roberto,
We are relatively certain this is a Huntsman Spider in the family Heteropodidae. One of the most widely ranging Huntsman Spiders is Heteropoda venatoria, but we are not certain your specimen is that species. Heteropoda venatoria is a harmless nocturnal hunter. We understand that some tropical Huntsman Spiders are quite poisonous.
Argipoe appensas mating activity
Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM
I got this shot of a male Argipoe appensas? after it spent some time on the web of a female. I did not get a shot of the actual mating. I’m not sure it occurred. However, I wonder if the small appendage and organ to the left of his head are sex organs and/or sperm packets?
gregp25
Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii
Orbweavers
Dear gregp25,
Thanks for sending us a photo of a pair of Argiope appensa preparing to mate. The much smaller male will spend considerable time in the web of the female until he has an opportunity to mate. In speaking about a related species, Argiope aurantia, BugGuide mentions the palps on the male spider being reproductive organs. The Biodiversity Explorer website discusses the copulatory organs of spiders thus: “The copulatory organs of the Araneomorpha, or true spiders, have entelegyne features. The male palps are enlarged distally (at the ends) due to a complex copulatory organs or genital bulbs that resemble boxing gloves. Some tiny male spiders have ridiculously large palps relative to their body size. The male and female genital organs are very specific and function on a “lock and key” principle. These organs are used to identify spiders to species level. The female genitalia, the epigyne, is situated ventrally (underside) between the booklung slits on the epigastric furrow. The epigyne is a black, shiny, chitinous, oval to round plate with two openings. “
Orbweaver
Correction: Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Aloha Daniel -
Regarding the post on Sunday:
A pair of Orbweavers from Hawaii
Argipoe appensas mating activity
Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM
The photo from Kaua`i appears to have an adult female and a sub-adult female. Also, the writer is confusing the stabilimentum with something to do with reproduction.
The observations I’ve made of the males on Maui are that they have very little of the same markings on their back as the female. They are also seriously small compared to the females. Most people totally miss the boys hanging out on the other side of the web because of their X shape and the general size of these girls.
Also, regarding the first image – the male would need to be on the other side of the web. It is the best place for them to sip on the meal provided by the female. But who knows what they do when I’m not looking at them? Ha!
The link you have to BugGuide – for the Argiope Aurantia – the male is really large compared to what I have seen here on Maui for the Appensas. Of course, with the way animals can adapt to their environments, Kaua`i appensas and Maui ones could be different!
Right now, due to the wet and seriously windy weather in Ha`iku, our Appensas are hiding in their appropriate safe zones so I can’t send you an image of a pair here. I will make sure you get an image when I can. Also will include an image of egg sacks, which look rather like a wrapped-up used food source.
These images are from lower Kula on Maui – 30 July 2005. I had a house with an outdoor shower and these girls shared bug reducing duties for me.
Mahalo – Thanks – for all the enjoyment your efforts bring to the world.
Eliza B
Argiope appensa
Thanks for correcting our error Eliza.
One Proud Spider!
Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 1:53 AM
Hi guys,
Had my first encounter with one of these yesterday, is that a gun in its pocket or is it just pleased to see me. This family all have concave undersides to their bodies to allow them to wrap around small branches for camouflage. Of a night they build large webs vertically between trees. Common name here is “wrap around spiders”, this one is Dolophones turrigera.
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Wrap Around Spider
Hi Trevor,
This is one of the craziest looking spiders ever. We are always charmed and amused with your wonderful submissions from down under. We hope we can locate a link to Dolophonse turrigera to accompany this posting.
Green Lynx with Bee
Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I found this photo from last August on my camera. Taken near Charlotte, NC.
This is a Green Lynx eating what I think is a Carpenter Bee.
It must be their favorite catch as there already is a picture of this on your site.
Great site,
Bob
Cornelius , NC, USA
Green Lynx eats Carpenter Bee
Hi Bob,
Maybe you never had a chance to print your photo of a healthy female Green Lynx Spider feeding on a Carpenter Bee, but at least it is now online for the world to view. Green Lynx spiders often wait for prey by perching on blossoms, so they eat many pollinating insects.
misumenoides formosipes eats butterfly
Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 10:46 AM
Hi,
I found this crab spider at my aunt’s house in central Oklahoma last summer. I’m pretty sure it’s misumenoides formosipes, but I’m not positive. I hope you guys enjoy the pictures. Thanks for the great site!
Josh Kouri
Oklahoma City, Ok
Crab Spider eats Skipper
Hi Josh,
We believe you have correctly identified your spider as Misumenoides formosipes, the White Banded Crab Spider. This is a highly variable species and simply perusing some of the images submitted to BugGuide will reveal the many color variations. It is not true that Crab Spiders can change their coloration with their surroundings. What is more likely is that the offspring that match the color of the surroundings are more likely to survive to adulthood. At any rate, your photo nicely illustrates how closely a Crab Spider is capable of matching its surroundings, and how effective this is in capturing prey. It appears the butterfly in your photo is a Skipper.
Crab Spider
Spider of Mozambique
Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 9:01 AM
Hey, I don’t normally ask for help becuase I’m britty good at identifying bugs myself(not to brag) but this species turned out to be a tough one, even if you can give me a family it belongs to, better yet, a genus, I would be grateful.
Here’s a web site were the picture is and it shows exact coordinates were the picture was taken.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Big_spider_in_ Mozambique.JPG
Nicholas
Mozambique
Golden Silk Spider
Hi Nicholas,
This is some species of Golden Silk Spider in the genus Nephila. We haven’t the time to identify the species as we must rush to work to give our students their final examination today. Golden Silk Spiders have extremely strong webs and can catch small birds.
spider in web with stabillamenta
Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 5:51 PM
i found this spider in a forest.i think its a saint andrews cross spider.Can you help me identify it?
curious
singapore
St. Andrew's Cross Spider
Dear Curious,
The St. Andrew’s Cross Spider, Argiope versicolor, is found in Singapore according to Joseph K H Koh’s Guide to Common Singapore Spiders, and the web in your image is perfectly consistent with that of the species, so we are confident your identification is correct. Our memories of our own Catholic education did not provide a reason for the X stabilimentum and the life and death of St. Andrew, and we are quite curious since we are currently working on a book chapter on Entomology and Etymology, and your letter gives us a wonderful excuse to try to do a bit of research. We located the following on Wikipedia: “Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at Patras (Patrae) in Achaea . Though early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours ,[3]describe Andrew bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Christ was crucified, a tradition grew up that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross) and commonly known as ” Saint Andrew’s Cross “; this was performed at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross on which Christ was crucified. [4]“The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the later Middle Ages,” Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the materials studied by Louis Réau. [5]“
nephilla spider eating cicada
Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 5:56 PM
I took this picture of a nephilla spider eating a cicada at a nature reserve.The spider was at least 10 cm from mouth to the tip of its abdomen.
curious
singapore
Golden Web Spider
Dear Curious,
Normally we would be reluctant to try to identify which species of Golden Silk Spider you have photographed, but we suspect it is Nephila pilipes, The Golden Web Spider, which is a common species in Singapore. There is a website of Common Singapore Spiders based on a guide book by Joseph K H Koh that depicts this spider. Golden Silk Spiders in the genus Nephila have extremely strong silk in their webs and are known to catch small birds. Your photo clearly shows the golden color of the silk.
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