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Comments & ID Thoughts
I have recently found a spider with a red hourglass belly, looked it up and realized it was a brown widow. I found this one in the same area. It looks similar, but doesnt have a red belly. I cant figure out how to send more than one picture to include belly photo. I'll try sending separately!
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Dec 2, 2019
- Photographed: Dec 2, 2019
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: FALLS CHURCH, Virginia, United States
- Spotted Indoors: Other
- Found in web?: No
- Attributes:
I have recently found a spider with a red hourglass belly, looked it up and realized it was a brown widow. I found this one in the same area. It looks similar, but doesnt have a red belly. I cant figure out how to send more than one picture to include belly photo. I’ll try sending separately!
You figured out how to get around the one photo thing. Did you take any pics of the top of the spider? Those are much more useful for identification. This isn’t a black or brown widow. Brown Widows have red-orange wide hourglass marks on the underside. Yours looks like genus Steatoda or Parasteatoda. Either way it is a good household bug hunter. Not dangerous nor aggressive. They just want to avoid us. Please add a dorsal (back) pic if you can.
Thanks for getting back to me! I looked those up. It’s definitely a Parasteatoda! Also, if I’m remembering correctly, I think picture # 96675 was a back picture. Back when I found the brown widow that time, it had a pretty bright red hour glass on it’s belly. I think it came in on some used furniture. I wish I hadn’t let it go outside. No one believes me! I may be able to find a picture on my computer though. Lastly, I’ve been getting bitten every other month or so by something that leaves a tiny V-shaped bite mark… Read more »
Thank you for clarifying that. I labeled the post. This may be Parasteatoda tepidariorum, a Common House Spider. They are shaped like Widows. Their markings are black, gold, white, silver blotches. They’re not dangerous to humans.
Maybe it’s just me, but I like the common name “American House Spider”. When I hear “house spider” I initially think of big, hairy dudes like Eratigena and Kukulcania. P.tepidariorum is so very unlike those that calling it a “common” house spider feels weird.
Galvantula, it depends on where you grew up. I only saw tiny jumping spiders in the house and some Pholcidae spiders. Anything bigger than that would have caused a big commotion with my parents and would have been a “not in MY house spider.” I didn’t even know that there were common large spiders in New England until a year ago! I have P.tepidariorum covering the outside of my house now, I don’t think of them as indoor house spiders either.
This is the dorsal photo.
Not sure what dorsal is, but I just checked and this is definitely his back. The other ones that look like a smiley face are the belly pics. Yes, I do believe that you are correct about the Parasteatoda tepidariorum. I looked it up and it looks just like this one!
Do you happen to know what kind of spider bite is V-shaped? I’m always asleep when I get bit. I’d love to be able to tell my doctor and maybe not have to get antibiotics.
Thank you again!
You’re welcome! Yes, the dorsal plane is the back of a creature in 2D, from what I remember from high school Anatomy class. Like if you had a big pane of glass stuck to your back, it’s what people would see looking directly at the glass. I think of fishing to remember that. The big fin on a fish back is the dorsal fin. V shaped wounds sounds like an insect, spiders puncture with two fangs, they can’t actually bite or chew. There’s double sided tape that you can put around your bed to catch and stop the creatures -except… Read more »
TangledWeb, thank you! I have no clue what kind of bug could bite me in the v-shape like that. Most bugs are too small. I just looked at a ruler and I’d say the bites are about 1/16 of an inch or a little bigger. My doctor said they’re spider bites, but I doubt she knows anything about spiders. Spiders are the only bugs that I’ve seen in my room other than cave crickets (jumping spiders). I’ve never had those bite me, but who knows what they would do if trapped. So the v-shaped bites will remain a mystery, but… Read more »
You’re very welcome! Since you say the wounds are bigger than insect and spider bites, my next thought it is bat bites. Virginia has a lot of bats! https://www.humanwildlife.cmi.vt.edu/Species/bats.htm I just learned that it is illegal in Virginia to poison any animal in a home other than mice and rats! I don’t know if they are including insects and spiders in their definition of “animal.” Either way, that’s interesting! Bats can get into homes fairly easily if they try. They can go in through an attic, window, or chimney or damaged roof. If you have a landlord please ask them… Read more »
I don’t think it’s a bat! The bites are too small and not very deep (and extremely itchy and then painful). Also, my dog, Wolfy, sleeps with me. I’ve had a bat (and various other birds) fly in my house before and Wolfy goes berserk. Wolfy has one heck of a nose and he’s a pretty light sleeper, at least, compared to me! Thanks for looking!