Post your Spiders

[Fleshpiston]

It doesn't have to be macro but I would love to see what you have in your gardens, houses and any other place they decide to reside.

At the weekend shot down to Milk Point NSW for some underwater shooting trials and on the way saw 50 or 60 of these fellas/fellaretts:


DSCF1717.jpg by Fleshpiston, on Flickr


I will post the UWshots in the other thread.

Post'em if ya got 'em!

DSCF1716.jpg by Fleshpiston, on Flickr


DSCF1712.jpg by Fleshpiston, on Flickr


DSCF1710.jpg by Fleshpiston, on Flickr

[Peter Ryan]

Hi Jim,

This little critter is a Golden Orb spider. It is a critterette. The male (including legs) is about the size of her abdomen and she eats him after they consummate the relationship. Tasty.

[Hans]

Ok Ok just for fun...

Huntsman spider of Oz (Australia). This one was one of the biggest I've seen (his legs would spread well beyond my palm). Harmless, but painful if it does bite. More scary than anything else...actually I think they have probably killed people from fright (they love to hide under the sun visor and drop onto your lap when you are travelling a country road at 120km/hr...dangerous combination )

[John B Walker]

Yuk!! A good reason to cancel my planned trip to Oz

[mk00]

I don't know what this one is and never seen it before or since. Certainly the biggest and fattest I've seen in my garden - May, 2010 Hampshire, UK.

[Jim B.]

Jumping Spider

[Hans]

Aw, c'mon John don't be a big sook To be honest, they are more scared of you than you would be of them...well at least that's how the saying goes

Looks very similar to our common black house spider, Mike.

Nice little jumping spinder, Jim. They're almost cute aren't they?

[Geoff F]

Mike, I'm not completely sure of the identity of your spider but I suspect it may be one of the Steatoda family. They normally have a clearly marked narrow white crescent shape on the front of the abdomen but markings can be quite variable especially with females.

S. bipunctata is upto 7 mm body length while S. nobilis is usually between 8 & 14 mm. This is the one that is sometimes referred to as a False Black Widow, but although they can bite they normally prefer a peaceful life. Just don't pick it up and give it a cuddle!

ps. I will have a look through my 2010 images to see if I can find anything interesting. Not many winter spiders to be found although I did see a juvenile Pisaura mirabilis 'sunbathing' on my house wall today.

[Gry]

Not many spiders in Norway (at least not dangerous), but I found this fellow right outside my window. And I guess it's a male...

[Camellia]

Ok Ok just for fun...

Huntsman spider of Oz (Australia). This one was one of the biggest I've seen (his legs would spread well beyond my palm). Harmless, but painful if it does bite. More scary than anything else...actually I think they have probably killed people from fright (they love to hide under the sun visor and drop onto your lap when you are travelling a country road at 120km/hr...dangerous combination )

I've got the creeps just thinking about huntsmen in cars! I saw a big one this morning that became breakfast for a bird - good bird. I do find macros of spiders fascinating but I don't know that I have the guts to get that close to one, regardless of whether it's harmless or not. How about photos of dead spiders?

R

[Geoff F]

Gry, I'm not totally certain from that angle but I suspect that is an Araneus diadematus and going by the body shape I would think that it is female. It really requires a clearer view of the papls to be certain; and I'm definitely no expert when it comes to spiders.

So here is one from my 2010 collection.



Pardosa nigriceps which was waving it's black furry palps in the air trying to attract a mate.

And if I can digress slightly. This, strictly speaking, isn't actually a spider but a strange relative family which is commonly known as Harvestmen.



This is a female Dicranopalpus ramosus which is a strange shaped creature which arrived in the UK from North Africa about 60 years ago and has been gradually spreading northwards. So it is something slightly unusual to look out for in your garden, etc.

The abdomen isn't completely focused because I had to concentrate on those strangely shaped palps which enable separation between males and females

[Hans]

I've got the creeps just thinking about huntsmen in cars! I saw a big one this morning that became breakfast for a bird - good bird. I do find macros of spiders fascinating but I don't know that I have the guts to get that close to one, regardless of whether it's harmless or not. How about photos of dead spiders?

R

Ha ha, Raylee, I did shoot it with a 105mm macro not a 50mm! Must say, as I opened the gate into the National Park, I jumped back about 3m and nearly made a 'me' shaped impression on my car bonnet (hood) in my desperation to create distance between me and this monster. But I managed to pull myself together for a shot.

Actually had one under my visor when I was about 18 and Arachnophobic. I just saw its legs poking out. I slammed on the clutch and hit the foot pedal handbrake instead and skidded to a halt in the middle of the road, the door flew open and in my wild gesticulations managed to catch my foot in the seatbelt which fliped me off my feet and I landed on my bum in the middle of the road. Lucky for me there were no other cars on the road at the time as my vision was pretty much as tunneled as it gets! Poor mum had no idea what was going on as she was left sitting in a suddenly driverless car

There was another time when out bush driving an army tank during a mock attack that I saw one crawling up the front of my tank suit...but that is a story for another time

Great shots and informative lessons from Gry and Geoff!

[Fleshpiston]

Hi Jim,

This little critter is a Golden Orb spider. It is a critterette. The male (including legs) is about the size of her abdomen and she eats him after they consummate the relationship. Tasty.

Quite right I should have said what it is called <doh> cheers Peter

Here is a better shot that explains the reason for the Golden Orb Weavers name:

Golden Orb Weaver by Fleshpiston, on Flickr




Geoff could you help Identify this Tarantula please?

Terra Natura by Fleshpiston, on Flickr



This is one of my favourite spiders and this was taken here in Sydney.

Wolf Spider:

Wolf Spider by Fleshpiston, on Flickr

And last but not least this White tail that decided I was dinner... after its bit me I took this shot:

White Tail spider by Fleshpiston, on Flickr

I am still on the hunt for a funnel web and at this time of year my chances are quite high. I love my arachnids

[Camellia]

Jim

What you call a white tail is different to what I know of as a white tail in Canberra. The ones here are all black with only a white tail and an elongated body. I will try to take a photo of one for you. I hope you will give me a gold star if I have the courage to do it!

R

[Hans]

The white-tail is a juvenile I would think. Will ditch the white spots on the abdomen when it gets older and blacker. They are a beautifully streamlined spider aren't they, Jim. How did you pull up after the bite?

[mk00]

Mike, I'm not completely sure of the identity of your spider but I suspect it may be one of the Steatoda family. They normally have a clearly marked narrow white crescent shape on the front of the abdomen but markings can be quite variable especially with females.

S. bipunctata is upto 7 mm body length while S. nobilis is usually between 8 & 14 mm. This is the one that is sometimes referred to as a False Black Widow, but although they can bite they normally prefer a peaceful life. Just don't pick it up and give it a cuddle!

ps. I will have a look through my 2010 images to see if I can find anything interesting. Not many winter spiders to be found although I did see a juvenile Pisaura mirabilis 'sunbathing' on my house wall today.

Hi Geoff - thanks for the feedback. I shouldn't have been lazy and looked for myself first.
Looking at a couple of sites it did look similar to the false widow but then I saw a picture of a tube spider and that looks an even better match - http://www.uksafari.com/florentina.htm
We certainly can't match the Australians though for 'interesting' spiders !

[Geoff F]

The cooler UK climate may be some limitation to the more extreme looking spiders although we still have a few 'interesting' species here.

For a basic identification guide to UK spiders this site might prove useful http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spider...tion-chart.htm

There are a few better sites, scientifically speaking, but this one is probably easier for beginners.

Mike, Segestria florentina was one that I originally considered but, to me, the abdomen of your specimen seemed a little on the plump side and the pairs of slight depressed spots possibly fit better with Steatoda.

The main point to consider is that Segestria only have 6 eyes instead of the more usual 8 and they are arranged in 3 groups of 2 eyes; but I can't clearly see enough detail from that angle. In the UK they tend to be a southern species, although that would fit for your location. And are often found close to ports.

Also the chelicerae (jaws) are large and usually appear greenish with a rather bright sheen.

However, I did think that the thorax was possibly a bit slim for a Steatoda. So all in all, I'm still rather uncertain from the angle of that photo. In reality, total identification usually comes down to microscopic examination.

Anybody requiring to consult with a real expert on UK spiders, or for that matter any other species of UK animals, might find this site useful http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/index.php

And for the rest of the world http://www.wildabouttheworld.com/forum/

[mk00]

Hi Geoff - I think you are right and it's a Steatoda of some sort. If I ever see it again I'll try to get some better pictures. This one (and some others which aren't any better) were taken with a Fuji S5800 on macro or super macro.

[Lorieann]

Here's an Oklahoma Brown Tarantula, (aka Texas Brown Tarantula). First saw it on my shovel handle, next day it was on my BBQ table. Pic was taken in Sept. 2010

[john w revie]

I do not know what kind of spider this is but it likes locusts for lunch



john