Odd Spider

[Jeri]

I saw an odd spider a few years ago. I don't know why I just thought of it, but I did. While I was stationed in Florida I saw it in one of the telephone cans we were working in. My partner at the time smashed it before I could stop him, so I don't have a picture and I haven't seen anything like it since. It had some very specific markings and colors, so I hope someone might have an idea what it was. It was small, black and smooth, and was definately some type of widow. It was small (about 2 inch leg span) and had very long, thin legs, so I thought it was a male. It had the distinctive red hourglass on the underside and had three tapered, yellow, horizontal stripes on the back of its abdomen. Every joint in its legs also had a yellow band on it. I described it to the entomology office on the base and they had no idea what it might be. My supervisor said that it sounded like some kind of hybrid that shouldn't have been possible, but I saw it so I know it was real. I found it on the reservation of Eglin Air Force Base, near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. I know it's a long shot, but any help would be appreciated.

Jeri

 

[Wade]

L. mactans is often more colorful before reaching maturity, so that's a possibility.

L. geometricus, is often a more colorful spider than it's common name implies, the brown widow.

L bishopi, the red widow, is very colorful, but adults have red legs. Not sure about the immatures, I've never kept this species.

Those are the three species known to live in Florida, but who knows what introduced species might be crawling around.

Wade