barn spider?
Hello!
We have a few of these in our front yard in North Carolina only at night only in the Fall. They spin gigantic webs (roughly 2×2 feet )–but with a very strong anchor webbing that often goes 10-15 feet to the web itself. The spiders are large with a big abdomen,and they have hairs on their legs (as can be seen in the picture). By morning, the webs are gone completely and the spiders can’t be found. They seem somewhat like barn spiders, but the fine-scale concentric web weaving seems different. Let us know what you think they are.
–Zab

Hi Zab,
Tha Barn Spider, Araneas cavaticus, is just one of a large genus known collectively as Orb Weavers. Most have the behavior you describe, including building a large web nightly, and hiding by day. I can’t commit to an exact species in your case.

Hi Bugman,
Could you help me identify this spider. We have these every year, usually from spring to fall and they seem to enjoy the bathroom more than anywhere else. Some of them are small and other very large measuring about 3 – 5 inches of leg span. They come back very quickly, it doesn’t matter how many times we remove them and clean up after them. They are back within a couple of days. Sometimes we have up to 20 at a time. They aren’t bothersome. They seem to like to use hair and thread in their webs and I never see them catch food and eat. What are they? This particular one seems to have a big ball she / he is holding onto with little bumps all over. Is that an egg sack. I have searched for many years trying to find this spider but have had no luck. We live in the Northwestern mountains of New Jersey. I have a few other spiders that I have yet to get pictures of and will post them also when I do.
Thanks,
Kathy

Hi Kathy,
Search no further. You have Cobweb Spiders, Pholcus phalangioides. These are domestic spiders, often found in the bathroom. Sometimes when the web is disturbed, the spider gyrates wildly. That does appear to be an eggsac. One of your photos also shows a discarded skin from a prior molt.

Writing Spider?
I live in Hickory, NC (Western NC), and this spider just appeared by our front door last Saturday. Sunday morning, spider and web were gone. Monday, I found him about ten feet away with his web between the house and a shrub. Thought you might appreciate the pics. Excellent site!
Thanks!
Gene Annas

Hi again Gene,
Writing Spider, a common name given to spiders who make a stabilimentum in the web like your photo shows, is just one common name for Agriope aurantia, also known as Miranda aurantia. Other common names include Golden or Yellow Garden Spider, Golden Orb Weaver, and Black and Yellow Argiope. Thanks for the beautiful photo.

Hi Spiderman!
Ok..Im stumped. Never seen anything like this. I live in Milton, Delaware…….there seems to be 5 round eggcases within the cocoon. Any idea what they might be? I always heard colored spiders were poisionous. Is this the case? Thanks!!
Connie
Delaware

Wow Connie,
Nice photo of Cyclosa bifurca. Here is what Comstock has to say: “The strange form of the abdomen sharply distinguishes this species from the othe species of Cyclosa in our fauna. The abdomen is long; the basal half bears two pairs of humps; the caudal half is more slender and is bifurcate at the tip. The body is green mottled with white; there is a light wavy band on the side of the abdomen; and the abdomen is bordered with a black line above, back of the humps. On the ventral side of the abdomen, there is a bright red spot between the epigastric furrow and the spinnerets. The legs are banded with reddish brown. I found this to be a common species near Miami, Fla. I first found it in the jungle near the shore of the bay, where it made an orb-web with a string of eggsacs across it like a stabilimentum.” Thank you for your wonderful addition to our site, especially since I could not find any photos online.

Shiny Brown Spider
I often confuse this spider with a black widow because of the silhouette. I’m sure it’s in the Theridiidae family of spiders but I cannot find any solid information. I’m tempted to leave it there because it seems to be a very good hunter of other spiders and it isn’t doing any harm in that little corner of our home.
-John
Location: Kent , Wa . USA

Ed. Note: Before we even had a chance to identify John’s spider he sent us this great link.

Found some information on the curious Spider I sent earlier from this site: http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/Spider/spiders.htm You mention the Steatoda grossa (false black widow) on your site but didn’t include any pictures. I hope you can use the ones I sent. Thanks for your time and your outstanding website
-John

Thanks for doing our work John,
Here is some additional information from Hogue: “The False Widow is very abundant locally and probably suffers considerable undeserved abuse because of its general similarity to the Black Widow, upon which it is reported to prey; it also eats sow bugs. It lacks the red hourglass mark of the BHlack Widow and has a marbled purplish-brown rather than black abdomen. Females are just over 1/2 inch long. Flase Widows are found in and around houses, under the loose bark of trees, and in rock and wood piles; these spiders are more tolerant of outdoor conditions than are the Black Widows.” Incidentally, your newly molted female with her cast off skin is a shiny, handsome spider.

Grass Spider or Hobo?
My wife spotted this unfriendly looking spider today outside our home in lower Michigan and as far as I can tell, it is a common grass spider. I think it is a bit large, though. It is about 2" in length and moves extremely fast down its funnel web, which is 7"-8" deep (maybe more).
thanks,
Shawn
Battle Creek, MI

Hi Shawn,
Agelena naevia females are the largest members of the genus and adult females can have a body length of 1 inch and legs that span two inches easily. They act exactly as you describe. They are Grass Spiders or Funnel Web Spiders.