# Is this the correct forum for spider species identification?   Got an interesting spider(s) in yard



## cbsuen (Aug 5, 2014)

I live in Tempe, AZ and its one of the older neighborhoods.  It used to be properties people called horse properties and when I was a kid, there was nothing but farms out here and quite a bit of wildlife.  Now its all paved and most everything is gone.  We still get irrigation but no toads, no crawfish, etc..but unfortunately Tempe is friggin mobbed by cockroaches.  There is at least three species, I found a fourth in our backyard this year, in our yard and with them are the scorpions and spiders.  BIG ONES.  I've always given them all a wolf spider ID and I think most are but there are some big ones that I'm guessing are either huntsmen or i don't know.  The most recent one I found has a body about 1 inch, and legs about 1.5 to 2 inches, it comes out at night and seems to like hunting the roaches on the brick wall, it doesn't seem to leave the wall.  I've seen some monsterous wolf spiders that would make a lot of people think tarantuala but i'm pretty sure this spider isn't a wolf.  the hair on the abdomen is blond, uniform in color and thick in texture.  there is a very simple design of some sort going down the proximal center of abdomen to the thorax, like >>>>>>>.   Its not a brown recluse.  Tonight I'll try to get a picture, it had a relative, virutally a twin, living close to it but I accidentally crushed it.  Anyhow...tonight I'll take a photo, unless some one has an idea from my description?   My backyard is crawling with scorpions, black widows, and roaches.  Does anyone buy the scorpions or black widows?  

Below is a photo of a very similiar looking spider but the picture below is an unidentified spider and i'm not sure it lives in arizona...  But, I have some very similar spiders in my backyard that are too close not to be related.   any one know what it could be?


----------



## loxoscelesfear (Aug 5, 2014)

Huntsman spider.  Lucky, they chow up the roaches

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## The Snark (Aug 5, 2014)

Looking forward to a pic. Your description ruled out Venetoria so let's see whats ya gots! FYI, they are basically harmless and, I have come to discover, good indicators of the health of your local ecosystem.
Here is an example of the striking colors and patterns sometimes seen on the sparassids (Huntsman). This is very exotic, the chevron seems to be a more common pattern.


This is a typical light coloration male Venetoria


And female Venetoria in typical dark coloration. Take note of the leg shape, the sensory hairs, body shape and other characteristics to help ID


Oh yes. A quick and dirty way to tell a sparassid from a Lycosidae (wolf spider) at a casual glance. Sparassids climb walls with ease while wolfs can barely hang on.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## RegallRegius (Aug 5, 2014)

Maybe Olios giganteus?


----------



## The Snark (Aug 5, 2014)

Check the eyes
http://www.spiders.us/files/olios-giganteus-eyes-300x300.jpg


----------



## pannaking22 (Aug 5, 2014)

Definitely a huntsman and it sounds like a beauty at that! Looking forward to your new pics. If you post the widows and scorps in the classifieds section I'm sure you'll find takers. You might even find people interested in the roaches if you know the species.


----------



## Smokehound714 (Aug 7, 2014)

Could it be a Syspira species?  Syspira is a VERY very common genus in deserts.  

  The species found in arizona tend to be pretty plain, as opposed to the strikingly patterned Syspira tigrina.

 They look like a strange mix between a wolf spider and a huntsman, and they love climbing stones. They cannot climb smooth surfaces. 

  They jump like wolf spiders as well.


----------

