Steatoda
(False Widows)

Picture ID 51463

Comments & ID Thoughts

Spider took up residence in my kitchen cabinet last Sept or Oct. I like spiders that eat bugs in my house, so left it alone. Spider has gotten bigger and bigger and darker--I don't *think* it's a black widow but starting to wonder. Maybe False Black Widow? Web is haphazard. Can't get a photo from top or bottom because always upside down on the web in the cabinet. Scoots into a dark corner when I open the door and move my hand inward, so hard to photograph at all.

Submitted by:
elf
Submitted: Jan 9, 2019
Photographed: Jan 9, 2019
Spider: Steatoda (False Widows)
Location: San Jose, California, United States
Spotted Indoors: Other
Found in web?: Yes
Attributes: Lateral, Webs

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TangledWeb

Moderator

January 9, 2019 3:15 pm

Hi, your description is very good. She’s probably a false widow, Steatoda grossa, I’m not certain from the side view. She has been eating well, which is exactly what you want from a spider in the house. The web is always messy looking and it gets dusty. They like enclosed spaces and darkness. Their sight is poor, they mostly use vibrations and basic light/dark sight to find prey and avoid large animals like humans. I’ve tried photographing the Steatoda species spiders that I let live in my house and it is difficult, they run from the flash or any other… Read more »