# Hobo Spider? ID Please



## wicked (May 21, 2009)

My daughter's kindergarten teacher found this walking across the floor of the classroom. 
My first thought was hobo spider, but I don't have any experience with them. 
Location: Wyoming
Size: With legspan, fits on a quarter


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## jsloan (May 21, 2009)

It's hard to tell from your picture, because it's grainy and out of focus when I enlarge it.  I can't see any details.  Closeup pics of the eyes and also the underbelly and sternum would help.  That would at least enable an ID to genus.

My gut reaction says it's not a hobo spider.  The legs look too thick.  Compare with this image:

http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/21188


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## wicked (May 22, 2009)

My camera is pretty much worthless. I took about twenty pictures and that was one of the few with any detail.  

I have a cheap magnifying lens. Any details I should look for that could rule out a hobo?


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## What (May 22, 2009)

Just in case you didnt know... Hobo spiders are not dangerous... Soo, if that is the motivation for asking about the ID dont worry about it.

Anyways, any chance we can get an eye arrangement shot?


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## jsloan (May 22, 2009)

wicked said:


> I have a cheap magnifying lens. Any details I should look for that could rule out a hobo?


Absolutely.  The info you would need is here:

http://pep.wsu.edu/pdf/PLS116_1.pdf

A good place to look for a halfway decent magnifying glass is a stationary store.  Sometimes they carry the kind used to examine documents, at a reasonable price ($15 to $20).


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## wicked (May 22, 2009)

Thank you. 

Under good light, and through the cheap bug lens, I think I see very faint bands around the legs. 
Not a hobo, but no closer to an ID. Every other spider I see out here has very similar markings.


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## edesign (May 23, 2009)

What said:


> Just in case you didnt know... Hobo spiders are not dangerous... Soo, if that is the motivation for asking about the ID dont worry about it.


The spider may not be dangerous but on occasion their bites have been known to cause relatively serious medical conditions, not something to just dismiss entirely because of some unanswered questions  There is no disputing that some hobo spider bites do become necrotic lesions...dangerous? Not unless it becomes infected or fails to cease being necrotic.

http://hobospider.org/poison.html


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## What (May 24, 2009)

edesign said:


> The spider may not be dangerous but on occasion their bites have been known to cause relatively serious medical conditions, not something to just dismiss entirely because of some unanswered questions  There is no disputing that some hobo spider bites do become necrotic lesions...dangerous? Not unless it becomes infected or fails to cease being necrotic.
> 
> http://hobospider.org/poison.html


I suggest you go find Rick Vetter's paper "Do hobo spider bites cause dermonecrotic injuries?"(or email him for it). He comes to an entirely opposite conclusion. The hype around the hobo spider is all hype, nothing more.


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## edesign (May 24, 2009)

Requested...will reply when I get a copy and have read it. Thanks.


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