Found this spider when I was opening the door to our storage room. In the corner about half an inch long. This is the closest I could get with my camera.
From Spider
From Spider
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Recluse or Not
bjbillinger
Oct 04, 2008 09:10 PM
Replies (4)
bjbillinger
Oct 04, 2008 09:11 PM
Sorry here are the links to the pictures. Hope they work.
http://picasaweb.google.com/bjbillinger/Spider#5253485989372116130
http://picasaweb.google.com/bjbillinger/Spider#5253485999529380098
Venom
Oct 14, 2008 03:40 PM
Nope, not a brown recluse ( Loxosceles reclusa ). What you have is 100% a member of the Theridiidae "cobweb weaver" family. Recluse spiders are in Sicariidae, and look like leggy, tan crab spiders...which do not spin these sorts of webs ( if any ), nor hang upside down in them. Your spider is probably ( 95% certain ) a Parasteatoda tepidariorum ( formerly known as Achaearanea tepidariorum ), and a female. It is perfectly harmless in every sense.
Out of curiosity though, what state are you in?
bjbillinger
Oct 14, 2008 04:35 PM
I am in the eastern part of kansas. So I knew I was the area where recluse's are at.
Venom
Oct 15, 2008 05:33 PM
Oh yes, east Kansas is prime recluse territory. That's not why I was asking, though. There is another spider which is very similar to P.tepidariorum, but is actually quite toxic ( Latrodectus geometricus, "brown widow"
. However, you've ruled that out with your location, so I can now say it is 100% Parasteatoda.
