# sugar-puff spider ID help???



## skull13 (Jan 31, 2011)

brought some crickets the other day from local pet shop in essex, uk, and found this spid in the box with em.. decided to keep it for a while and try find out what species it might be? and if to release it somewhere safe or just keep it my collection dependin what i find out about it? it's about 2-3cm, pale brown colours, loox a bit like a sugar-puff with legs, i looked online and can't find anythin that really matches it, if anyone can help ID it and maybe have some other info etc would be great,..

prob best to msg me on fbook=davyd skull, or email=skullfuck@btinternet.com as i rarely use this site,









ps.just got told by my head voices to add this lil smiley thin :barf:


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## Venom (Jan 31, 2011)

You have there a verrrrry well-nourished Cheiracanthium spp., most likely C. mildei.


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## revilo (Feb 1, 2011)

???sure???


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## Venom (Feb 1, 2011)

Quite. Look at the ---|--- shaped marking that goes lengthwise down the anterior abdomen, and compare with other _Cheiracanthium _spp. Also, the general proportions are right. The specimen is dark on its legs and ceph' probably because it needs to molt (which would not be surprising given how fat it is). I'm not 100% that it's a C. mildei, but it's definitely a _Cheiracanthium _spp. of some kind.


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## EXOPET (Feb 1, 2011)

there seem to be quite a few of these cropping up in crickets from peregrine livefoods, ive noticed many over the last 2 years


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## What (Feb 1, 2011)

Seems more likely that it would be a Thanatus vulgaris, especially given the finding in crickets and distinctive abdominal marking.


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## johnsolanzo1209 (Feb 1, 2011)

^^^I agree


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## revilo (Feb 2, 2011)

hi,

jup, thanatus (philodromidae) is the "usual" or "common" cricket-box-spider 
species i forgot over the years, but there are a few info's about in www.
but pics are worst...because this i didn't wanted to give this as an id...

this marking on dorsal opisthosoma is not a useful taxonomical character. a lot of spiders have this, because the heart of spiders is under this area it's sometimes called heartspot or heartmarking.

cheers, oli


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## What (Feb 2, 2011)

revilo said:


> this marking on dorsal opisthosoma is not a useful taxonomical character. a lot of spiders have this, because the heart of spiders is under this area it's sometimes called heartspot or heartmarking.


Generally that is true...in this case(and a few others) it can be useful, though. 

Still a very good general rule to use when IDing spiders.


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## revilo (Feb 2, 2011)

hi,

hmm...in case you determinated a specimen to genus level by using different characters, than the mentioned marking can be useful to help to id on species. like in trochosa spp. (lycosidae) for example. 
but to id with this on family or genus ? 
maybe possible in some cases ? i don't know, never heard or read this...

in most species it's a very variable marking with an individual appearance, so it's hard to use this, i think. the patterns/markings from prosoma are more constant, isn't it ?!
but i'm not a taxonomist, so maybe i'm wrong...

bye, oli


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## What (Feb 2, 2011)

revilo said:


> in most species it's a very variable marking with an individual appearance, so it's hard to use this, i think. the patterns/markings from prosoma are more constant, isn't it ?!
> but i'm not a taxonomist, so maybe i'm wrong...


I believe that is correct, it just hapens that in T. vulgaris (and species like H. ecclesiasticus) there is a "standard" marking... 

Im not a taxonomist either, and I didnt use any taxonomic information for IDing this spider, it was simply being familiar with the species it and recognizing that the body shape/style, legs, and the fact that it came with crickets. 

Compare this spider to this one of the species Venom suggested... That sort of difference is the way it is useful.


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## skull13 (Feb 10, 2011)

thankensteinez everyone for your help, yeah loox like she's def a 'thanatus vulgaris', she's been ok on small crix so looox like i'll be keepin her for a while 

ps; decided to name her 'nooodle the sugar puff spider'


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## cacoseraph (Feb 28, 2011)

doesn't really look much like a sac spider to me


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## Venom (Feb 28, 2011)

Meh.

It didn't look much like a Thanatus to me. Guess I goofed though, lol. The colors are not what I'm used to seeing in a Thanatus, and the proportions didn't look right either. Oh well.

This is what I think of as a more typical-looking Thanatus:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskar87jk/4048544362/


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## Michiel (Mar 1, 2011)

I see these little guys frequently in my cricket boxes. As my scorpions are not interested in them, I send them to spider heaven....


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