What Spider Is This

MoreliAddict · 07-19-13, 03:50 PM

Sorry to start a new thread, but I need to know it's venomous.

It's at a friends house in Houston, TX. It apparently killed a cockroach too.

Thanks!

Starbuck · 07-19-13, 05:15 PM

not dangerous to people (unless you have an allergy). looks to be some araneid species.
most spider venom is targeted to kill arthropods, and does not work as effectively on vertebrates.

Abraxxos · 07-19-13, 05:19 PM

4 people on my end agreeing that this is a brown widow and while they're not exactly deadly to humans... it will make you very sick and yes it is venomous (technically just about all spiders are venomous, simply a matter of whether or not they are dangerous)

Herpophiliac972 · 07-20-13, 09:13 AM

Looks just like a simple Orb Weaver to me, should not be harmful, but if the guy above me is right, don't mess with it. If it is a real problem, it would be best to just put it in a container and move it. Otherwise, just leave it be. It is not a very quality picture so it is hard to tell what species it is. Looks to be small though, so the fangs should not be able to penetrate your skin.

DragonsEye · 07-20-13, 12:04 PM

Not a great shot.

If it has a wheel-shaped web, it is an orb weaver. If it is a tangled web, then one of the comb-footed spiders (Family Theridiidae ).

I disagree as to the "brown widow" ID. If anything it looks like a Parasteatoda -- a common house spider.

In any event, while it is true that most spiders are venomous, few pose any real danger. Even the widows are not nearly the threat the general public makes them out to be. The odds of getting bitten by any spider is extremely low -- your are far more likely to get bitten and seriously injured by a dog. So I wouldn't waste the energy on "freaking out." If anything, just let the spider do its job -- bug control.

**Pareeeee** · 07-21-13, 03:20 PM

Looks like Steatoda grossa to me - also known as the Cupboard Spider or False Widow. I believe they are found throughout the USA and Canada, but don't quote me on that. We do have them where I live in houses. Their bite can cause issues including blistering and general unwell feeling.

Preventative measure: don't kill Daddy-Longlegs spiders if you see them, they are harmless and keep other spider populations under control. Their favourite diet includes things like Black Widows.

smy_749 · 07-21-13, 03:24 PM

Paree , whats the difference between the daddy long legs you posted and this one. I've never seen the kind you posted around here and always see the one I posted below with the circular body and no distinct abdomen.

**Pareeeee** · 07-21-13, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smy_749

Paree , whats the difference between the daddy long legs you posted and this one. I've never seen the kind you posted around here and always see the one I posted below with the circular body and no distinct abdomen.

Although it is an arachnid, that is not a spider, it's a Harvestman. We have them here as well. Some people call them Daddy Longlegs. What I posted was the actual Daddy Longlegs Spider. Which I have EVERYWHERE in my house, haha.

See my post here: http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...-longlegs.html

DragonsEye · 07-21-13, 06:20 PM

Paree, from what I recall, Pholcid spiders (Family Pholcidae) primarily take very small prey ... ants and such being a common food source. An adult widow would be too large for them.

That aside, false widows are very timid. I would not worry about a possible bite from them either. Never seen S. grossa like those you have pictured. Quite lovely things. Mine (yes, I do keep them) are generally a rather boring deep brown as adults -- wish they looked more like the ones you have pictured.

Zoo Nanny · 07-21-13, 07:26 PM

DragonsEye do you keep widows as well? A gentleman I worked with a few years ago bred them along with a number of species for zoos.
My husband was bitten and received a very nasty reaction to a Northern Black Widow last year. It took him over a month to get over it. They thought at first it was a tick bite and Lyme Disease. My son was bitten a week after he was and got a more localized reaction of his ankle swelling. I was bitten last on the back with only mild discomfort for a couple of hours. I caught the widow that bit me. We found out that our house was loaded with them along with the garage and two sheds. It took us days to clean and vacuum everywhere. I found that using natural eucalyptus and eucalyptus oil keeps them away. I ended up killing about a dozen in the house and another couple of dozen in the garage and sheds.

**Pareeeee** · 07-21-13, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Paree, from what I recall, Pholcid spiders (Family Pholcidae) primarily take very small prey ... ants and such being a common food source. An adult widow would be too large for them.

What source are you getting this information from? It's a fact that certain Pholcids go after Redbacks, Black Widows, etc. It's those long legs that protect their tiny bodies from being bitten while wrapping their prey in silk. Perhaps you have smaller subspecies where you live?

Here's one of many videos documenting it:
Daddy Long legs vs Black Widow - YouTube

Also another pholcid attacking another even bigger spider:
Daddy long-legs spider vs.House Spider - YouTube

And if you can handle the cheesy sound-effects, this one is pretty entertaining:
Monster Bug Wars- Cellar Spider Vs. White-Tailed Spider - YouTube

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

That aside, false widows are very timid. I would not worry about a possible bite from them either. Never seen S. grossa like those you have pictured. Quite lovely things. Mine (yes, I do keep them) are generally a rather boring deep brown as adults -- wish they looked more like the ones you have pictured.

Yeah they seem to be variable. The house I grew up in had a lot of them, and I don't remember ever having been bitten. I'm sure I picked them up too, that's what I used to/still do. The ones we have here are mostly brown, with a faint version of the mottly/speckling.

DragonsEye · 09-28-13, 09:06 AM

Hmm, miss a couple months, miss a lot it seems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoo Nanny

DragonsEye do you keep widows as well?

Not currently though I have in the past and will again at some point -- beautiful creatures. Latrodectus bishopii is my favorite. Unfortunately it is only native to a small region of Florida.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zoo Nanny

My husband was bitten and received a very nasty reaction to a Northern Black Widow last year.

How unfortunate! Black widows are actually far more numerous that people realize. Documented bites are rare (as with the vast majority of "spider bites," people -- including docters -- simply "assume" that a bug bite came from a spider). Yours is one of the few verifiable ones I have heard. The reaction you had is actually typical -- despite what folklore and the idiot media would have the public believe. Overall, the widows, as with all spiders, do far more good than harm and pose less of a threat than many items in our lives -- including dogs, horses, and automobiles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pareeeee

What source are you getting this information from? It's a fact that certain Pholcids go after Redbacks, Black Widows, etc. It's those long legs that protect their tiny bodies from being bitten while wrapping their prey in silk. Perhaps you have smaller subspecies where you live?

Cool vids, Paree!

Partly personal experience and partly dimly remembered readings (but -- alas! -- I cannot remember the source(s) ).

I could caution against such blanket statements as: <I> "don't kill Daddy-Longlegs spiders if you see them, they are harmless and keep other spider populations under control. Their favourite diet includes things like Black Widows."
</I> As you pointed out in your last post <I>"certain Pholcids"</I> do ... Without identification or observation on the OP's part, no way to tell if their specimen would do so. On a somewhat related note, there are some species of Salticidae (jumping spiders) that include other spiders -- particularly the cobweb weavers -- in their diet.