The Adventures of an Australian Spider...?

September 3, 2006 7:26 AM

A few weeks ago as I was cleaning pots, I saw what appeared to be a bit of cabbage zipping around in the bottom of a big ole crock pot...which turned out to be an unfamiliar-looking spider. Here's a picture of it (and a huge, grosser version). What kind of spider is it?

I'm really just curious what it is. We live in a suburb a bit north of Boston, MA (USA)...and we get our fair share of wolf spider, daddy-long legs, jumping spiders, etc...but in all my life in the area I have never seen a spider with such markings.

Random research indicates it looks most like a red-back spider...but the abdomen is a different shape (and it seems they only live in Australia...though a Flickr commenter mentioned it could have hitched a cross-global ride to end up in my dirty pot).

The end of this story is I captured the spider (who was really crazy and active) in a glass and released it out in the back of our yard. So no dead spiders (though the thought of a potentially non-native poisonous spider roaming our yard is...kind of not-comforting).

Any thoughts?

Also, at one time, there was a site linked somewhere off of Mefi that had submissions of big bug pictures for identification...but my search-fu is failing me. Anyone recall this?

posted by tpl1212 to science & nature (8 comments total)

I'm not sure what kind of spider that is, but I believe the site mentioned before for bug identification was What's That Bug?
posted by shinji_ikari at 7:43 AM on September 3, 2006

Possibly Castianeira descripta? (Two links there). Buggide.net may be the site you were thinking of, as well.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 7:45 AM on September 3, 2006

It looks like a black widow spider to me.
posted by aburd at 8:42 AM on September 3, 2006

Dipsomaniac: It looks like a black widow spider to me.

Nah, the red hourglass figure on a black widow is on the underside (look at how the legs are bent on those pictures), while his has it on the upper side.

Black widows, like brown recluses, are pretty much going to leave you alone so long as you don't disturb them/piss them off. (of course, spiders don't have enough brains to have emotions, but you know what I mean.)
posted by Meep! Eek! at 8:48 AM on September 3, 2006

Methinks you meant aburd, Meep. I had the velvet antmimic.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 8:51 AM on September 3, 2006

Ah ha! I think the ant-mimic (castianeira descripta) that Dipsomaniac points to may be the winner...! It certainly does bear a striking resemblance...and the potential range seems to be more in-line with finding one in my kitchen. I don't recall it having as hairy legs as all the pictures seem to indicate, but reviewing the picture, I can see the tell-tale "single hairs" on the legs.

Also, thanks much for the bug identification links...!
posted by tpl1212 at 9:16 AM on September 3, 2006

I saw what appeared to be a bit of cabbage zipping around in the bottom of a big ole crock pot...which turned out to be an unfamiliar-looking spider

Doesn't look anything like cabbage to me. I'm confused.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:24 PM on September 3, 2006

Dipsomaniac: Methinks you meant aburd, Meep. I had the velvet antmimic.

Indeed I did. Sorry about that.
posted by Meep! Eek! at 11:36 PM on September 3, 2006