Subject: Is this spider a Ladybird
Geographic location of the bug: Greece south Peloponnesis
Date: 05/07/2019
Time: 04:01 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Do you know what is this ?
I met this strange spider in Stoupa last Monday.
It was walking quite slowly on the road, body is strong and as large as a 2€ coin, legs are strong too and very tightly gathered around the body.
Wondering if it is common in this area, this is first time I see such strange bug.
I’ve been told this might be a Ladybird Spider
How you want your letter signed: Chris1957
Dear Chris1957,
We believe that you are correct in suspecting that this is a Ladybird Spider in the family Eresidae. This image on FlickR and this image on FlickR look very similar. Ladybird Spiders exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females look very different, and it is the male Ladybird Spider that is responsible for the common name.