I think this is a anyphaena aperta?
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May 1, 2019
May 1, 2019
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Feb 24, 2019Feb 22, 20191 Comments
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Apr 8, 2019Apr 7, 20192 Comments
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Apr 8, 2019May 31, 20191 Comments
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Help identify this spider
Oceana,
Thank you for trying to find the ID. I don’t think I could say something is Anyphaena aperta. Some spiders can only identified by an expert taxonomist with a dissection microscope. Our reference photo came from a spider expert who has a taxonomist who confirms the species for him. I get the impression that it is common in Entomology for researchers and explorers who specialize in habitat or behaviors to work with an invertebrate zoologist that specializes in anatomy. That’s a long way of saying, “it’s complicated.” On citizen science websites, like this one, we do the improper science of… Read more »
Spitting spider?! That IS so cool! I just read that they can project their venom up to ten body lengths away! I’d be interested to see if (in a very humane way that doesn’t harm the spider), you could provoke one to do that… Although it would probably be too small to see with the naked eye. (This guy was pretty darn small) That’s cool that you nearly went into taxonomic identification. I’ve read that entomology is the most specific type of degree one can pursue and that it’s hard to find arachnid programs. I already have a career that… Read more »
There are a bunch of videos on Youtube of Spitting Spiders, I was hoping for one from the BBC. It doesn’t look like I expected it to when the toxic silk hits the prey. There are very few professional araneologists in the World. If I had known that in college (and if the World Wide Web existed then) I would have gone for it. I’m glad I didn’t pursue the areas I was initially accepted into grad school to study, like how different elements pass through the human blood-brain barrier. Oh, heck no!
Tangled- what about this spider differentiates it from an anyphaena? Itsybitsy thought it was an anyphaena too.
Go with what Itsy Bitsy says. She’s the Site Moderator with about 11 years of experience identifying spiders (and other arthropods) from photos. She has much more experience than I do. I just got stuck on the Spitting Spider coolness thread. 🙂 So, a male Anyphaena Sp. is how she filed your spider. She based the most likely species answer based on location. Bugguide.net did identifications before our site existed. They do North American arthropods. SpiderId has only been in this form since Nov. 2017, I think. We do Worldwide spiders. We use Bugguide’s data for North American spider sightings.… Read more »
Spitting Spiders have 6 eyes, your spider has 8. I recognize the pattern on the carapace and chelicerae to be consistent with Anyphaena.
I put my flash on to try and capture the eyes, but I’m not that good at being able to count eyes that closely. Is that something that comes with time/practice?
Yes, it comes with time and practice, sometimes they’re so close together two eyes can look like one unless you know what you’re looking for.
Possibly Anyphaena celer, there’s a couple other similar options. A. aperta is found on the west coast.