# What's Your Favorite Non-Tarantula Arachnid?



## ReignofInvertebrates (Jan 20, 2014)

I decided to start a conversation, so here is my question!  What is your favorite non-tarantula arachnid?  I must say that there are so many really cool options, but I'm going to go with the ornate harvestmen.
[video=youtube;BLp2I4vKEmI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLp2I4vKEmI[/video]


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## Spepper (Jan 20, 2014)

Probably either jumping spiders or wolves.  I can't decide between those two.


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## BobGrill (Jan 20, 2014)

scorpions and jumping spiders.


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## The Snark (Jan 20, 2014)

Just to name a few...

Have you ever watched a dump truck lift the front of the bed and unload? It slowly raises to almost vertical and the dirt slides out. This third class lever system is powered by a pump that spins around, slowly building up pressure to a hydraulic cylinder. But suppose instead of a pump you had a reservoir of hydraulic fluid that could deliver the pressure almost instantly like squeezing a water balloon? Now think of not one but eight independent lever and pressure cylinder systems, each delivering the exact required pressure perfectly evenly through an incredibly sophisticated electronic control system which is in turn connected to a trajectory calculation computer with the result of being so accurate it's about equivalent to throwing a basketball through the hoop half a football field away. Salticids.

Run a computer program that draws a circumferential line around a series of radians in a gradually diminishing arc. Now add the flexibility into the program where if some of the radians are missing the program reverses the direction flawlessly, maintaining the precise spacing that would put Lobachevsky through his paces. Every orb weaver that has ever spun a web.

Randomly hurl a pile of cords around the room you are in. A few of them are sticky. A mess that isn't going to win any design awards in anybodies book.  Now go sit and wait until the correct roast beef and mashed potatoes gets stuck to one of the sticky cords. Oh yes. Dial down your metabolism. All the way down. WAY down. The roast beef may not get delivered for a year or even longer, the time frame converted to human years, and you want to be in prime condition to eat it when it arrives. Cobweb weavers.

Ever seen someone run to give their frail old granny a hug? How about making that dash, accelerating faster than a 747 at take off speed. But that 747 achieved that speed in around 1/50th of a second or even faster. Now imagine it stopping, perfect and precise, without smacking into granny. Without even bumping her. Lynx and crab spiders.

The Lycosid that accepts remonstration from my other and placidly sits where she placed it out of the way... on her head. It sits perfectly still for nearly a half hour until I finally get the camera working and batteries installed. I turn, focus, aim and zoom, the spider is gone. Mental telepathy combined with a certain something that Machiavelli never even dreamed of.

Reactions: Like 8


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## Smokehound714 (Jan 20, 2014)

It's really hard to pick a favorite, because every family has its own amazing behavior, adaptation and hunting strategy.

   I honestly cannot pick a favorite, hahaha


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## Beary Strange (Jan 20, 2014)

Jumping spiders hands down. They're so cute it's painful and as such make awesome little arachnid ambassadors. They seriously helped me, help a friend over her fear of spiders.


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## buddah4207 (Jan 21, 2014)

This is a dang near impossible question to answer since there are so many good ones but my first instinct was to say Dsydera crocata the woodlouse hunter


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## Silberrücken (Jan 21, 2014)

Those eyes...  they look into your soul.....



... or maybe they are "telling" you to not to touch their dinner....

Reactions: Like 3


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## Alokin (Jan 21, 2014)

As everyone already said before me you cannot just say "this is my favorite spider" every little spider has its unique and interesting aspect.And each and every one of these little fellows makes us Awhh in amazement.Some make awesome webs,some are the acrobats of the spider world,some are the sprinters,some are the stealthy hunters,and some are just plain brutes but all of them are amazing.If i had to choose one in particular i would say Lycosidae,now this could be just because they are so widely spread in my Country or just because i like their way of life and hunting,


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## Philth (Jan 21, 2014)

_Macrothele_ and _Linothele_.

Later, Tom


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## Spepper (Jan 21, 2014)

The Snark said:


> Just to name a few...
> 
> Have you ever watched a dump truck lift the front of the bed and unload? It slowly raises to almost vertical and the dirt slides out. This third class lever system is powered by a pump that spins around, slowly building up pressure to a hydraulic cylinder. But suppose instead of a pump you had a reservoir of hydraulic fluid that could deliver the pressure almost instantly like squeezing a water balloon? Now think of not one but eight independent lever and pressure cylinder systems, each delivering the exact required pressure perfectly evenly through an incredibly sophisticated electronic control system which is in turn connected to a trajectory calculation computer with the result of being so accurate it's about equivalent to throwing a basketball through the hoop half a football field away. Salticids.
> 
> ...


The Snark said it perfectly.  Each and every spider has it's own mind-blowing abilities and there's nothing else like them on earth.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Jan 21, 2014)

Either Phoneutria or Heteropoda.


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## Smokehound714 (Jan 22, 2014)

Im becoming quite a gnaphosidae fan, recently.   pretty cool spiders..


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## Mike41793 (Jan 22, 2014)

I like Shelob from LOTR . I'm not sure what type of spider she is exactly tho 



Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

Reactions: Like 1


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## RzezniksRunAway (Jan 22, 2014)

Since fictional spiders are apparently on the table

Flame Jumping Spider from Skyrim. It has the skills of a Jumper, the spiny abdomen of a Micrathena and the speed of a wolf AND it's on fire. I almost peed myself the first time one jumped out of no where at me. 



Real spiders... I'm still going with Jumping Spiders. I find all of them super interesting, but. Jumpers are so easy to anthropomorphise. When the spiders take over the earth, they're going to send jumpers to lull us into a false sense of security with their unbelievable freaking cuteness.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Greenjewls (Jan 22, 2014)

my favorite invert is a house cricket.  you bunch of cricket murderers!  just kidding.


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## JZC (Jan 22, 2014)

Phidippus jumping spiders and scorpions.


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## paassatt (Jan 22, 2014)

No love for family Hexathelidae yet?


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## Philth (Jan 22, 2014)

paassatt said:


> No love for family Hexathelidae yet?


I mentioned Macrothele of the previous page 

Later, Tom

Reactions: Like 1


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## The Snark (Jan 22, 2014)

Ever stop and think about your programming? The data you operate with stored in those synapses that makes you like this and abhor that? Ever stop and think about where that data came from? Was it the wide eyed wonder of the child, or the rancid prejudiced jaundiced outlook of some horrible plonkgorfus? Or somewhere in between. Hey, I'm a Snark. Pointing this sheet out is my job!


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## Smokehound714 (Jan 22, 2014)

Instead of picking a particular favorite, I'll categorize my favorites from each family..

 Salticidae-  One would think i'd say phidippus is my favorite genus, but actually, my favorite salticids are Habronattus.  They're always so curious, i have several species of habro in my backyard:  Pyrrithrix, californicus, and oregonensis are just three of several, and they're always easy to find.  I'll often see dozens of them all basking on the hose in the afternoon.  (great way to collect these btw)  I always see them communicating and courting or fighting, and it's always comical to me, because while two are occupied, a third will just barge in on them. and then they all freak out and run away from each other. hahah

 Lycosidae-  Schizocosa are probably my favorite wolves..  They are masters of grappling, and the largest in the genus- Maxima, reaches impressive sizes, actually surpassing Hogna in size!  I personally find them more attractive than hogna, as well.. the males have an amazing high-contrast pattern, and the females often have a beautiful sandstone color to them.   I wish there was more data on this species in particular (virtually none), but they get enormous!   http://bugguide.net/node/view/659503/bgimage http://bugguide.net/node/view/582285/bgimage

  ill edit more in later..


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## josh_r (Jan 23, 2014)

Dipluridae are my favorite above tarantulas and all other inverts right now. They are too cool and too unappreciated.


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## paassatt (Jan 24, 2014)

Philth said:


> I mentioned Macrothele of the previous page
> 
> Later, Tom


You sure did, Tom. I was viewing the thread through bourbon-tinted glasses when I posted that and missed your post completely.

Reactions: Like 1


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## SeanSYW (Jan 24, 2014)

Geolycosa are pretty awesome, too bad there are none in Ontario.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Sonny M (Jan 24, 2014)

Hello!

-_Megaloremmius leo_ (Simon, 1903) 

-_Ctenidae_ (Keyserling, 1877)

-_Eresidae_ (C. L. Koch, 1850)


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## klawfran3 (Jan 27, 2014)

The Snark said:


> Just to name a few...
> 
> Have you ever watched a dump truck lift the front of the bed and unload? It slowly raises to almost vertical and the dirt slides out. This third class lever system is powered by a pump that spins around, slowly building up pressure to a hydraulic cylinder. But suppose instead of a pump you had a reservoir of hydraulic fluid that could deliver the pressure almost instantly like squeezing a water balloon? Now think of not one but eight independent lever and pressure cylinder systems, each delivering the exact required pressure perfectly evenly through an incredibly sophisticated electronic control system which is in turn connected to a trajectory calculation computer with the result of being so accurate it's about equivalent to throwing a basketball through the hoop half a football field away. Salticids.
> 
> ...


that is the greatest thing i have ever read. thank you for that.


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## windscorpions1 (Jan 27, 2014)

Trapdoor spiders, easily my favorite arachnids. Cant go wrong with that ambush hunting style.


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## persistent (Jan 27, 2014)

Salticids, Opiliones, Amblypygi


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## Tongue Flicker (Jan 28, 2014)

I love those blue and black colored giant orb weavers the size of my hand that we natively have here living on line cables and eating sparrows. They spin uber tough webs that got my shoe stuck in mid-air at some point lol


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## asiletto (Jan 28, 2014)

Salticidae, Sparassidae, Nephilas.


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## The Spider Faery (Feb 18, 2014)

<-----   The spider in my avatar, Peucetia viridans, first and foremost. 

I also have a soft spot for Latrodectus bishopi (for their beauty), Viridasius sp. Madagascar (for their beauty and active lifestyle, lol, I mean they're fascinating to watch), and Pholcus phalangioides (because they're awkwardly clunky but have that unique defense mechanism of bouncing around in their web until they become a vibrating blur).

Reactions: Like 1


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## Curious jay (Feb 18, 2014)

cyanocean said:


> <-----   The spider in my avatar, Peucetia viridans, first and foremost.
> 
> I also have a soft spot for Latrodectus bishopi (for their beauty), Viridasius sp. Madagascar (for their beauty and active lifestyle, lol, I mean they're fascinating to watch), and Pholcus phalangioides (because they're awkwardly clunky but have that unique defense mechanism of bouncing around in their web until they become a vibrating blur).


What are the Viridasius sp. Madagascar like to keep? See them for sale fairly often but never seen much about them, apart from a few clips on jon3800 YT.


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## RedbackBreeder (Feb 18, 2014)

*:d*

[video=youtube;dUGtWw0nL80]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUGtWw0nL80[/video]

Redbacks!

Reactions: Like 2


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## PlaidJaguar (Feb 18, 2014)

Those ornate harvestmen are pretty darn cool, but my favorite is definitely P. audax (bold jumping spider). They helped me overcome my arachnophobia, so I have a very personal attachment to them.

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## TheFrankus (Feb 18, 2014)

I have two in my collection which i am more happy with than any other. My Tegenaria gigantea is the fastest girl in the world and great to look after but in terms of diverse behaviour it would have to be my Deinopis cornigera.


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## pannaking22 (Feb 18, 2014)

Hard to say. I've kept _Tegenaria gigantea_ before and those were fun. My purseweb spider was a mean old girl, but she was entertaining to say the least. I have 3 _Olios giganteus_ slings right now, but I got them not too long ago, so it's hard to say yet. Salticids are always fun to keep, so those are definitely high up on the list. 

My favorite that I have right now though would have to be my _Damon diadema_. That's always up for change though, so who knows once I get some new non-tarantula arachnids 

I could also say ticks, but those are what I study, so I think I have a bit of bias there


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## The Spider Faery (Feb 18, 2014)

Curious jay said:


> What are the Viridasius sp. Madagascar like to keep? See them for sale fairly often but never seen much about them, apart from a few clips on jon3800 YT.


They're amazing to keep.  They're active, like I mentioned.  They're not sit and wait predators like tarantulas...they actively stalk their food and pounce on it.  They're absolutely gorgeous.  I owned a female and she was 4 inches of black and white majesty.  Yes, they get quite large for a true spider, but fishing spiders usually are on the larger side.  I got mine as a subadult and had her for about 2.5 years, so they're long lived for a true spider.  They're very fast, but adapt comfortably if you create a decent setup.  I made mine semi-arboreal.  She even gave me a few phantom egg sacs.  What more could you ask for?

Reactions: Like 1


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## Curious jay (Feb 18, 2014)

cyanocean said:


> They're amazing to keep.  They're active, like I mentioned.  They're not sit and wait predators like tarantulas...they actively stalk their food and pounce on it.  They're absolutely gorgeous.  I owned a female and she was 4 inches of black and white majesty.  Yes, they get quite large for a true spider, but fishing spiders usually are on the larger side.  I got mine as a subadult and had her for about 2.5 years, so they're long lived for a true spider.  They're very fast, but adapt comfortably if you create a decent setup.  I made mine semi-arboreal.  She even gave me a few phantom egg sacs.  What more could you ask for?


2.5 years out of a SA.... Impressive. Was expecting a year or so at most (another reason I didn't want to pay for a WC adult).

Thanks for the info ill have to keep my eyes peeled.


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## Darvid (Feb 18, 2014)

I didn't see this one on here yet but i gotta say my favourite are tailless whip spiders of all kinds


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## MissSary (Feb 26, 2014)

Shelob is most likely a mutated giant bird eater. Lol. I love phiddipus audax and watching them up close. It's neat to know how they have the best sight for arachnids and can determine depth better than most humans. Mine can get a fly from anywhere in a five inch radius...in mid air (the fly tried to get away and backed into the jump of the spider). I also think they remind me of an old 80s coin bank called Robbie the Robot, in a cute way.


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## ArachnidKid1997 (Feb 26, 2014)

Phoneutria nigriventer


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## josh_r (Feb 27, 2014)

The genus Linothele, the genus Liphistius, and many of the Ctenidae are awesome.


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## Micrathena (Feb 27, 2014)

Jumping spiders are adorable (Google "cute spider" and you get a drove of jumpers) but I particularly adore Micrathenas (naturally) and Argiopes. They are just so awesome. Ever seen Micrathenas sexponisa? Indescribably awesome.


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## Phrynus (Feb 28, 2014)

*Okefinokee fishing spiders  (Dolomedes okefinokensis)*

Amblypygi are definitely my favorites,  but in considering true spiders, my favorite would be the Okefenokee fishing spider. It rivals the Huntsman spider in size. Their method of hunt is amazing in my opinion.  The ability to rest the front legs on the water without breaking the surface tension is a beautiful adaptation to the aquatic habitat. The hydrophobic hairs on this spider allow it to retreat underwater while carrying a coat of air. They are not a super-defensive species, I've never been bitten and they make great display animals. Truely an awesome USA native true spider!
Pb

Reactions: Like 1


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## Hanska (Feb 28, 2014)

Any arachnid? Most of them has their perks as Snark said.
Pick of two would be Salticids or Lycosids. I'll go as the gunsmith in me says:
 Lycosids, the AK of the spider world. Salticids are the hitech low tolerance precision tools like the AR-15, but the other gets the job done and has spread to all continents. 
Battle between the two would be all about small circumstances, the battle ground if you will.


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## Glubu (Feb 28, 2014)

_Steatoda_ and _Latrodectus_ for sure.


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## The Snark (Feb 28, 2014)

Hanska said:


> Any arachnid? Most of them has their perks as Snark said.
> Pick of two would be Salticids or Lycosids. I'll go as the gunsmith in me says:
> Lycosids, the AK of the spider world. Salticids are the hitech low tolerance precision tools like the AR-15, but the other gets the job done and has spread to all continents.
> Battle between the two would be all about small circumstances, the battle ground if you will.


Ar15? A gross insult to salticids world wide. I understand your point but I haven't seen a .223 yet that doesn't need a couple of hours of remilling and polishing.

Reactions: Like 1


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