Spider with reddish brown legs and yellow & black pointy back
September 8, 2009
I was sitting on my backyard swing and my 18 mos old brought my attention to this spider, she thought it was a bee. I put it in a bug jar and took a couple pictures of it. It is between 1/4-1/4 inches long. We live in SW Pennsylvania And it’s nearly fall here. I’m just wondering what kind of spider it is, I’ve never seen anything like it around here before ! I am petrified of spiders, so I can’t believe I actually got this in a jar.. haha Any information you have would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Momma of Three
South Western PA
Arrowshaped Micrathena
Dear Momma of Three,
Suddenly we have gotten quite behind in our responses. The new semester with budget cuts has brought added responsibility to our already busy lives. This is an Arrowshaped Micrathena, Micrathena sagittata, a harmless Orbweaver. You can read about the species on BugGuide.
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I was bitten by this same shape spider but it was black with a white top. Hurt like heck! a day later my leg muscles are so sore like I ran 5 miles. Is this bad?
This is not considered to be a dangerous spider, and the reaction you had sounds usual for a spider bite.