Entomology-What kind of spider is this? Is it Poisonous??
From inside the office I can't get a good picture of his underbelly which is almost completely Orange and Black... Quite Halloweenish! But here is what s/he looks like from the outside: I'll scroll it down so the squeamish can leave without seeing it.. Scroll down... Little more.... Here it is:  Any identification? Is it dangerous to people (or dogs)? Thanks! PS This is in Central Massachusetts, USA |
|
|
I'm no help with ID, but that is one spectacular spider!  Very interesting  |
| Black and yellow garden spider? Very pretty!! Well, pretty because it is in YOUR office, not in mine... http://www.spiderroom.info/va_gardenspider.html# |
| Closer to these "Orb Weavers" I think... http://www.spiderzrule.com/orbweaver1.htm |
| Like this one??? http://www.spiderzrule.com/1310/101_3328.JPG |
I was able to take out my video camera which also takes stills and it has an optical zoom lens on it, then I had to figure out how to turn off the AutoFocus to get the camera to focus on on the spider and not the background, then it wouldn't sync up with my newish computer so I had to take the memory card out and use a memopry card reader... (LOL why is life so hard?  ) So here are two more pics:The Belly:  The web pattern (Click through the pic for full size):  |
| So I asked Joan: "What kind of spider has an orange belly, black and white striped legs and a yellow back?" She said: "I don't know, what kind?" I said, panicked: "I don't know either but it's on your shoulder!!!" I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight.... |
I would be sticking the couch outside (it is going below freezing tonight) if you were my husband. Please pass this advice along to Joan!  |
Ron wrote: So I asked Joan: "What kind of spider has an orange belly, black and white striped legs and a yellow back?" She said: "I don't know, what kind?" I said, panicked: "I don't know either but it's on your shoulder!!!" I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight.... That was either very good .....or very foolish!  |
| Oh, she's a lovely member of the Orb group......garden spider with those lovely round webs. By this time of year they are quite large!! The ladies often move their webs to more protected spaces for their last meals before they lay their egg sacs and die. There's also a pumpkin spider, big orange girl with white and tan legs.....usually found more along the west coast. And a cat face spider......cute. I agree, if you are squeamish about spiders, these big girls can be a shock when you encounter them, but often they are simply stunning in their coloring and forms. |
| We have an orb spider here in OZ, the Golden Orb, there big and there webs catch small birds for food. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_silk_orb-weaver Not poisonous like the red backs, white tails or funnel webs, but nice to know you guys have orb type spiders too.  Actually ron it is a pretty spider in colour but I hate spiders they give me the creeps, thank goodness I have sons and hubby who remove them if anywhere in the house.  What's the phobia called for sh** scared of spiders? THAT's ME!!!!!  |
| Fear of spiders is: Arachnophobia or arachnephobia (from the Greek: ἀράχνη, aráchnē, "spider" and φόβος, phóbos, "fear") |
| Don't know what kind it is but glad it is at YOUR house. Can barely look at pics of spiders and snakes--we had an article in our paper today to beware--this is the time of the year that the 'brown recluse' spider comes inside your home--yuuuukkkk--those are truly scary! |
| ron, were there any spiders on the couch with you outside? |
| A great site for id'ing bugs etc http://www.whatsthatbug.com/page/4/?s=black+and+yellow+spider&searchsubmit_x=0&searchsubmit_y=0 Seriously by some of the pics that thing can get HUGE. Yuck, I hate spiders. I agree with the couch outside idea LOL |
| Stacey, thanks, what a great and fun site! |
| Yeah, we just had one of them in our garden a few weeks ago. DH did NOT like it and freaked out. I've always been told colorful spiders are poisonous, so I'm glad to know that this type isn't. |
barney1 wrote: Yeah, we just had one of them in our garden a few weeks ago. DH did NOT like it and freaked out. I've always been told colorful spiders are poisonous, so I'm glad to know that this type isn't. We normally don't have anything exciting either ...but last week we ALSO had a very colorful huge spider on our window. Same color as ron's but different pattern. By nothing exciting, we did have a snake longer than my leg look in our back door a few days ago. Lil J said Coool Snake...and since it had just rained, I figured he really was looking at a worm or something. Yuki went outside in the front the rest of the day as this snake hung out in our green pepper pots (took 2 pots to fit in) |
Guest wrote: ron, were there any spiders on the couch with you outside? I don't understand your question...? |
thought you had earned sleeping on the couch outside possibly???  |
| Oh! Ahhhha! LOL I'm really dense lately. No, I get to sleep inside even after TLI "The Latest Incident." Truth be told, she really doesn't want to let me out of her sight even for punishment by banishment. I must be irresistible. |
| not a bad thing now, if only those comedy clubs would call. |
| TRICK or TREAT quite interesting its like a Garden Orb in its halloween costume! |
| I just saw the same one on my back porch! Also, in Central Mass!!! |
| I have the same spider on my bedroom window Scary and I would like to know same things |
| I know this is an old post, but when I read this years ago we only had had a few. We now have dozens. Some of them are really huge. It is very common for us to have at least 4 really big ones with webs spanning 15-18 feet. The anchor lines are like guitar strings, and you can actually pluck them and they do not break. They rarely have a web that lasts more than a day or two at the most. I love to watch them restring their webs each day late in the afternoon. It is just like magic to me that they know exactly what to do. I have seen these webs catch and hold cicadas. That's pretty amazing - those suckers are really big. Anyway I have tons if anyone would like a few... They are not fun to find in your hair while driving to the store. Although I have to say it is so worth it when I see my husband scream, jump and run like a little girl when one gets on him. I know that sounds cruel, but it is just too funny! Shellie |
| Shellie, indeed they (Orb or weaver spiders) are beautiful, both the spider and the webs......and yes, walking into a web by accident does get your stomach jumping. People have actually used the silk to weave! How I have no clue due to stickiness. But then again silk is cocoon webbing, another insect product produced the same way. Right now I have a smaller spider playing games on/in a kitchen window. She is giving me big sticky web every morning, I clean it out but she runs and hides and I can't get her. Next day she has a new trap all spun. I hate to resort to chemical warfare or a vacuum, she is so industrious. |
| Oh I really hate when Vic mashes one! It seems to me they are doing me a favor of sorts since I have seen all the insects they can collect in a night with that web. The anchor lines aren't sticky at all. It seems like whenever I have gotten into one of the webs only the center is sticky. There are names for all the parts of the web and maybe that's something I should learn this halloween. (since it really is my favorite holiday!) And speaking of... we also have huge bright orange spiders. Just the most beautiful thing! I call them our pumpkin spiders. They seem to mostly hide on the patio. I should check that website and see if I can find it. Shellie |
| There are indeed pumpkin spiders! Araenus genus with several different species depending where you live. Saw a big honking Orb weaver above the front door yesterday. Have no clue how she plans on spinning her web with the door being opened and closed so often. Maybe she's going to lay an egg sac behind the light. Wolf spider on window sill continues to evade us, every 12 hours she has a new web nicely spun and we wipe it out. Don't know what she thinks she's going to catch....fly season was earlier. |
| We call them banana spiders. Don't know if they are poison or not tho. |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|