ATTN Arachnophiles!
By an edhat subscriber
Found this creature alive on my driveway. Is it a latrodectus ("widow") of some color? I noticed the unusual orange dots on top and slightly smaller ones on bottom of abdomen. Any ideas on identification?
8 Comments
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Sep 06, 2017 02:17 PM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendLooks like a brown widow (Latrodectus geometricus). Over the past three years or so they have replaced all the black widows on my property and there seems to be about twice as many.
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Sep 06, 2017 02:21 PM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendI vote for brown widow too. We've got em all over the house and outside but I like them so it's all good.
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Sep 06, 2017 10:43 PM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendGarden orb weaver
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Sep 07, 2017 07:34 AM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendThe brown widow's legs are darker at each joint of the leg, like this one. And the spots on the back also look right. Body shape for sure. I think it's a brown widow. We too have many of these around our house. Used to have a lot of black widows, but I see more of these now, wonder if they are out-competing the ones we are more familiar with. The egg sac is really distinctive, looks like a spiky little ball. Google the spider, you'll see. I don't think the bite is as toxic as the black widow's.
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Sep 07, 2017 08:51 AM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendThanks for all the information on this spider. Poster, thank you for asking and the photo. I have never seen one. We have 2 small grandchildren in another home on our property and it's good to know what they should be wary of.
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Sep 07, 2017 09:02 AM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendOP here: After submitting my pic, I got a closer look at the underside of the spider's abdomen. A small, but distinct hourglass! I did check out the orb weaver's pics on the net -- much "woolier" than my creature. And mtndriver's description of the egg sack matches those I've found around my house too. So I'm going with the brown widow ID.
The only anomaly is that my creature was out in the open driveway, not hidden under or behind something else. Thanks edhatters -- you've helped solve this puzzle for me!
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Sep 07, 2017 10:07 AM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendLooks like a Hellus Nopus to me!
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Sep 07, 2017 05:59 PM Printer-friendly version Send To a FriendLet your Daddy Long Legs proliferate, they compete with the black and brown widows and the Daddy Long Legs win out!!! They're much easier to tolerate.