Subject: Fishing or Wolf Spider with Egg Sac
Location: Sullivan County, NY
July 3, 2013 5:19 pm
I almost grabbed this girl while I was sorting laundry. Thankfully her big white egg sac stood out against the black running shorts and I stopped short. I scooped her up in a mason jar and took her outside.
Friends have alternately identified her as a fishing spider and a wolf spider. Which is she?
Also, I noticed two of these spiders on the side of my cabin (outside, thankfully!) about two weeks prior to this. Then they were no longer on the house, but I found one in my tub and now her. Do you think they are the same two?
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Signature: Kambri Crews
Dear Kambri,
Both Fishing Spiders and Wolf Spider exhibit excellent maternal care beginning with the Egg Sac which is transported around with the mother. Both families also care for the young for a short while. Wolf Spiders transport the Egg Sac by dragging it behind them. The Egg Sac is attached to the spinnerets. Female Fishing Spiders carry the Egg Sac in the chelicerae or mouthparts. Your spider is a Fishing Spider. We do not know how dense the population of Fishing Spider is in your area so we cannot guess if you saw the same two spiders or different individuals. While the filters utilized to create artistic instagrams often distort details that would be helpful for identification purposes, we must admit that this effective instagram shows the characteristic stance of a female Fishing Spider carrying about her egg sac.
Thanks so much! Love the site!
Kambri