Curious about the species of my new roommate in Costa Rica

ChristinaCrafty

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Messages
3
Hi there!

New here but really love spiders. I have a new roommate where I live part-time in the jungle in Costa Rica. Can anyone tell me the species. It's about three inches long. It's been hanging around my house for a couple of days, I saw it once in the shower, and once hiding behind furniture... I had a friend try to help me move it outside, but it escaped. It doesn't seem to spin a web as it moves



and just wanders freely.
 

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schmiggle

Arachnoking
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Nov 3, 2013
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2,220
No idea, but out of curiosity, why do you live part time in the Costa Rican jungle?
 

ChristinaCrafty

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 10, 2018
Messages
3
Thanks so much for your responses. I thought it might be a wolf spider but it didn't match some of the markings I was seeing online. I'll do some further investigation. :) And for why I'm in Costa Rica part time, although you can't tell from my phone picture... I'm a photographer and I'm also obsessed with monkeys. Cheers!

Just did a more thorough read of the Huntsman spider and other Sparassidae and I think that's correct!! Thanks so much!
 
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Dave Jay

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
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294
The straight legs made me think it wasn't a huntsman, it doesn't look much like the huntsman spiders here at all, but some of the images in a Google search look similar. hm 4.JPG Our huntsman spiders look like this.
 

The Snark

Dumpster Fire of the Gods
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Aug 8, 2005
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11,047
Sparassids have an odd trait. On occasion they will extend 4 legs stright to the front and 4 straight to the back. I watched a Venatoria shimmy down the length of a curtain just like that so it's some sort of innate mobility ability. Since I have observed this only on vertical surfaces I assume it has something to do with climbing.

With the OP photos, the size and vertical orientation smacks of huntsman and definitely rules out Lycos. They can't climb for beans.

@Dave Jay That pic looks huntsman but not Venatoria. I don't see a white band across the face.
 

Sarkhan42

Arachnoangel
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Dec 29, 2015
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901
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Dave Jay

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Messages
294
Sparassids have an odd trait. On occasion they will extend 4 legs stright to the front and 4 straight to the back. I watched a Venatoria shimmy down the length of a curtain just like that so it's some sort of innate mobility ability. Since I have observed this only on vertical surfaces I assume it has something to do with climbing.

With the OP photos, the size and vertical orientation smacks of huntsman and definitely rules out Lycos. They can't climb for beans.

@Dave Jay That pic looks huntsman but not Venatoria. I don't see a white band across the face.
I live in South Australia, this is our common species so that's what I think of when huntsman is mentioned, I think venatoria are a tropical species so I doubt I've seen one before. There are 94 species in Australia, I think only about 4 in my area though. The one in the photo lives on our loungeroom wall.
 

Stefan2209

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
May 7, 2005
Messages
729
Definitely no Phoneutria.

Most likely neither Cupiennius nor Ancylometes.

Likely a Ctenidae though.
 
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