Author Topic: Interesting Spider in My Home [PHOTO]  (Read 676 times)

Calilasseia

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Interesting Spider in My Home [PHOTO]
« on: May 27, 2021, 09:38:35 AM »
This little beastie turned up in my home on 2021/05/20.

Don't worry, it's only small, it just looks huge in the photo because my camera has a super macro zoom facility that can make a small coin look like a manhole cover. :)

What struck me about this was the fact that while I was photographing it, it appeared to have an iridescent metallic green abdomen - not the sort of colour scheme usually associated with British spiders!

Specimen has since been identified as Philodromus aureolus.

To give an indication of actual size, the leg span is only marginally wider than the diameter of a UK 5p coin (which is a pretty small coin).

In the past, I've had the related Philodromus dispar turn up in my home, whose adult males look as if they're wearing a tuxedo colour scheme wise.
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Matilda

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Re: Interesting Spider in My Home [PHOTO]
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2021, 01:01:00 AM »
I think it is gorgeous! Did you let it stay or escort it outside? My son-in-law (in UK) can only tolerate spiders in the house if he gives them a name  :). Here in Oz we have a constant supply of house spiders but none as colourful as yours.
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Calilasseia

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Re: Interesting Spider in My Home [PHOTO]
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2021, 10:38:13 AM »
I think it is gorgeous! Did you let it stay or escort it outside?

All my specimens are released into the wild, unless I'm informed beforehand that the specimen is of interest to scientists.

My son-in-law (in UK) can only tolerate spiders in the house if he gives them a name  :). Here in Oz we have a constant supply of house spiders but none as colourful as yours.

Actually, if you check out the various Peacock Spiders that live in Australia , you'll find they're very colourful indeed! This scientific paper covers spiders of the Genus Maratus, which contains the Peacock Spiders, and I think you'll agree they're well worth looking out for!

Meanwhile, a pretty thorough run-down of the various Australian members of the Salticidae can be viewed here, but be warned you have a LOT of photos to scroll through on that page. :)

For example, Simaethula auratus looks as if it's made of opal.

In the Araneidae, Eriophora curculissparsus is mint green, and Araneus praesignis has a mint green cephalothorax with a white abdomen. You also have several interesting black and yellow striped Argiope species to look out for in the same Family, along with odd looking species in the Genus Arkys. Also check out the Genus Austracanthus, which contains colourful and bizarrely shaped six spined spiders, as does the related Genus Gasteracanthus. In particular, Gasteracanthus westringi will probably leave you with your eyes on stalks when you see it! These and more can be viewed here.

Also see the Australian members of the Family Thomisidae,

Several of the smaller Huntsman Spiders belonging to the Genus Neosparassus are bright green. The big, scary ones belong to the Genus Heteropoda - but as big as the Australian members of this Genus are, they're eclipsed by Heteropoda maxima from Laos, which has, wait for it, a 12 inch leg span. That is NOT a species that should be searched for via a Google search by arachnophobes!



« Last Edit: June 01, 2021, 10:41:55 AM by Calilasseia »
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birdy

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Re: Interesting Spider in My Home [PHOTO]
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2021, 11:44:31 AM »
Oh my goodness, those spiders are gorgeous, Calilasseia! Are there as colorful ones here in the U.S.?  I suppose there could be, but they may be so small or fast-moving or nocturnal that we just don't notice them.

Before I started taking photos, I was fairly bug-phobic.  But even then I moved spiders outside rather than killing them. I knew they killed bugs too, and "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

mkenuk

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Re: Interesting Spider in My Home [PHOTO]
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2021, 11:49:12 AM »
I knew they killed bugs too, and "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

My sentiments precisely.