hi! i talked to you recently about extra large wolf spiders in the house. i finally got a picture of one complete with eggsac (detached). this is not one of the big ones, i would say small to medium. i'm sorry i sprayed it because it was in my room, but i took it outside to take the picture. debi
Yup, that was a wolf spider. The egg sac for those is usually carried attached to their abdomen, sometimes by a strand of silk so that it drags along behind them. A related family - the fishing spiders, (family Pisauridae) - actually carry their egg sacs in their fangs.
when i saw it carrying the eggsac it was directly placed under the middle of the body. all of the other pictures i saw had it slightly behind or farther. it looked like it was sitting on a mushroom. what is the difference between this and the southern house spider. ive been going on spider websites and some of them look like this too. we have alot of sliding doors in this house and almost all of them have messy webs in the corners, kind of flat looking, but circular, like there is someone down in there. i understand the wolf doesnt make webs? it would make more sense for this infestation to be house spiders rather than wolf? what is your thinking on this? thanks debi
You're right. Wolf spiders don't spin webs to catch prey. Yours might've been sitting on the egg sac to protect it.
House spiders that I'm aware of make messy cobwebs. Webs that have a "hole" that looks like the spider is hidden somewhere down inside something else - usually a crevice - might mean a funnel web spider of some kind or maybe a Filistatidae.
Here's a picture of a house spider with some prey in its web. An egg sac is in the background.
ok, thanks. this picture is the regular house spider. the southern house spider looks very much like a wolf but the females get huge. the family you mentioned (filis) includes the kukulcania hibernalis which is what i think i have. the website is www.floridanature.org. this is so interesting. i just wish there werent so many of them all over the house inside and out. we have a big masonery overhang with screen that attaches to wood and goes up into the attic. from what i read this is exactly what they like. we have those webs about every foot all around the entire house, plus tons more at every door and window inside and out. im vacuuming like crazy. thanks for your help! debi
This message was edited Jul 19, 2005 9:57 AM
Oh good grief what is it with everyone and taking pictures of these spiders and I am compelled to look???? LMAO Thanks Debi I will find something to give you as a treat back
Anne
this is a gift anne, LOL, please don't bother. debi
Oh when I find something that is just as nice I will bother LOL
Just hard to find the perfect gift -- you know how that can be???
