Found a tarantula in my home

[Nubcaek]

First of all I'd like to say hello and that I am living in southern California and that I don't have any experience with keeping arachnids . So I found what seems to be a tarantula, it is about 3/4 of an inch big all around, it is black and white with blue/turquoise fangs, the white is on bands around its legs and it has some white markings on the top of its abdomen, otherwise everywhere the white isnt the black is . I don't have a digital camera to takes some pictures so I can't post any , so far I've given it a small fly yesterday and a bottle cap as a water dish .

If anyone could tell me what else I look for to help identify it or a site a website with lots of pictures it would be great .

 

[Thoth]

Welcome to the boards. The only tarantula I know of with blue fangs is Ephebopus cyanognathus but the rest of your description doesn't really match.

Two good sites with pictures of tarantulas are:
Rick West's http://www.birdspiders.com/archive_Tarantulas.html
and John Hokes http://www.e-spiderworld.com/gallery/index.htm

 

[cacoseraph]

First of all I'd like to say hello and that I am living in southern California and that I don't have any experience with keeping arachnids . So I found what seems to be a tarantula, it is about 3/4 of an inch big all around, it is black and white with blue/turquoise fangs, the white is on bands around its legs and it has some white markings on the top of its abdomen, otherwise everywhere the white isnt the black is . I don't have a digital camera to takes some pictures so I can't post any , so far I've given it a small fly yesterday and a bottle cap as a water dish .

If anyone could tell me what else I look for to help identify it or a site a website with lots of pictures it would be great .

that sounds like some kind of jumping spider to me...
check this out:
lists all the Genus of jumping spiders:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/1962/bgpage

good luck, those are pretty cool little spiders

 

[Beccas_824]

Without a picture it would be pretty much impossible to identify it from your description. It really doesn't sound like any type of tarantula, especialy one that woudl be native to california.Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[Sobrino]

Well first of all that arachnid sounds beautiful, but it is still very hard to identify it without a picture. Do you know somebody that has a digital? cause if you post a pic, I'll see what I can do. So good luck, and I want to wish you the best of luck with identifing it.
See Ya!

 

[fyrburn]

I can't identify it, but I can tell you a bottle cap sounds reasonable as a water dish, depending on size. Make sure the spider can fit it's entire body in lengthways (not NECESSARY but advisable) and that the water is deep enough for it to almost entirely submerge, but not enough for it to drown in, if you know what I mean.

Also assuming that's all done correctly (sounds more complicated than it really is) you aughta keep the water as close to ground level as possible (for now) to ensure it can definetly reach it. basically so it can find it ok and if it isn't a climber, it doesn't have to put itself at any potential risks. Even a bottle cap can provide a deadly fall depending on how it lands.

Although I agree with the above, it sounds very uch like a jumping spider, or to some extent an orb weaver, rather than a tarantula. Some pics would help a lot.

And if you keep it for good, then good luck

 

[DanHalen]

This has really intrigued me! Chances are, unless it's an escaped pet, its going to be an Aphonopelma sp. But the blue fangs? I've seem pics of a A. Chalcodes (Google it ) under certain light conditions look blueish around the fangs, but thats it.

I was trawling through Google, and some of the posts here and I came across one by a regular poster, who REALLY knows her stuff (I hope she wont mind me quoting her:

California's native species:
Aphonopelma brunnius Chamberlin San Mateo Co., Santa Clara Co. Aphonopelma brunnius Chamberlin 1940, p.11 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Aphonopelma californica (Ausserer) San Diego Co. (,San Diego area.) Eurypelma californica Ausserer 1871, p.214 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom dub
Aphonopelma clarum Chamberlin Los Angeles Co. ( nr Claremont) Aphonopelma clarum Chamberlin 1940, p. 10 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma cratium Chamberlin Los Angeles Co. Aphonopelma cratius Chamberlin 1940, p.18 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma cryptheum Chamberlin Los Angeles Co. Aphonopelma cryptheus Chamberlin 1940, p.16 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma eutylenum Chamberlin San Diego Co., north to Kern Co. Aphonopelma eutylenum Chamberlin 1940, p.9 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Aphonopelma iodius (Chamberlin & Ivie) Riverside Co, San Bernardino Co,. Kern Co., Inyo Co. Delopelma iodius Chamberlin & Ivie 1939 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma joshua Prentice SanBernardino Co., Riverside Co. Aphonopelma joshua Prentice 1997 * *
Aphonopelma leiogaster (Doleschall) CaIifornia Eurypelma leiogaster Doleschall in Ausserer. 1871, p. 214 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom dub
Aphonopelma marxi (Simon ) San Bernardino Co. (S. Bernardino Mts.) Eurypelma marxi Simon 1891a,p.324 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Chamberlin, 1940, p.26 Tom Prentice tells me that A. marxi is in fact unknown from CA
Aphonopelma mojavae Prentice San Bernardio Co, Kern Co., Inyo Co., Los Angeles Co Aphopelma mojavae Prentice 1997 * *
Aphonopelma phanum Chamberlin Orange Co. (Laguna Beach) Aphonopelma phanus Chamberlin 1940, p.24 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma radinum (Chamberlin & Ivie) Los Angeles Co. (Manhattan, Beach) Delopelma radinum Chamberlin & Ivie 1939a, p.4 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Chamberlin, 1940, p. 30 *
Aphonopelma reversum Chamberlin Orange Co., Riverside Co, San Diego Co. Aphonopelma reversum Chamberlin 1940, p.8 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 *
Aphonopelma rileyi (Marx) Santa Barbara Co. (Santa Barbara) Eurypelma rileyi Marx 1888, p.117 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom dub
Aphonopelma rusticum (Simon.) Alameda Co. (Berkeley) Eurypelma rusticum Simon I891b, p. 323 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Chamberlin 1940, p. 14 *
Aphonopelma steindachneri (Ausserer) San Diego Co. (San Diego) Eurypelma steindachneri Ausserer 1875, p.199 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Simon, E., 1891a, p.322 *
Avicularia californica Banks San Diego Co Avicularia caIifornica Banks 1906, p. 95 A. Smith 1995; Prentice 1997 Nom. dub., spiders correctly placed in Avicularia should not occur in California
Last Updated on 14 Aug 2003
Spiders of California
email Steve Lew

The "Tom Prentice" referenced above is THE expert on California species. He's right here at University of California Riverside. You can reach him at (909)787-4733 or e-mail him at tom.prentice@ucr.edu

He's a great guy and extremely eager to help, but he MAY talk your ear off! He LOVES to talk Theraphosidae!! Best of luck with your i.d.

Pay attention to the email address at the end. Maybe contact the guy and see what he has to say... And then tell us. I'm actually really interested Welcome to the boards, and if it does turn aout to be a T, then well done on your first!

 

[Nubcaek]

that sounds like some kind of jumping spider to me...
check this out:
lists all the Genus of jumping spiders:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/1962/bgpage

good luck, those are pretty cool little spiders

Hmm now that I look at those pictures and remember when I gave it a fly it did make a nice jump for the fly.....I've seen jumping spiders around before but this one looks pretty different with its markings, maybe I should just let it back out or should I keep it?

 

[Waryur]

I'm new but tarantulas don't really jump as far as i know... the arboreals can glide but i'm not sure about jumping.

 

[DanHalen]

It sounds like a Phidippus Audax (daring/Bold Jumping spider):






Close?

<Edit> From the University of Arkansas:

The jumping spiders, Family Salticidae, are bold daytime hunters with acute vision. They are robust and hairy, and they have a distinctive eye arrangement. The front row of 4 eyes has a greatly enlarged median pair. The second and third rows are moved back on the cepahalothorax. The spiders leap onto their prey and overpower it.

The bold jumping spider, Phidippus audax, is a common predator of many crop pests, including boll weevils, spotted cucumber beetles, bollworms, cotton leaf worm, fall webworm, cotton fleahopper, lygus bugs, stink bugs, three-cornered alfalfa hoppesr, leafhoppers, sorghum midges, mosquitoes.

This species is variable in size and color. Individuals average around 0.5 inch long, but some individuals in Texas and Mexico reach 0.8 inch. The spiders are mostly black, and typically the top of the abdomen has a rather large white to red central spot and a pair of smaller posterior spots. The chelicerae are metallic green. Juveniles often have orange abdominal spots that turn white at maturity.

Phidippus audax is a grassland and prairie species, but it is also found in open woodland, old fields, gardens, and around and in homes. The species is widespread from southeastern Canada and the eastern United States to Washington, New Mexico and eastern Mexico. It has been introduced into Southern California and Hawaii. It winters as subadults, matures and mates in the spring, and produces egg sacs under bark of logs in the summer.

Edwards, G. B. 2004. Revision of the jumping spiders of the genus Phidippus (Araneae: Salticidae). Occasional Papers of the Florida State Collection of Arthropods 11: 156 pages

 

[Schlyne]

I'm new but tarantulas don't really jump as far as i know... the arboreals can glide but i'm not sure about jumping.

Arboreals can jump.

Given the description though, I'm more inclined to think this is a jumping spider. Great find anyway :clap:

 

[Ewok]

That Phidippus Audax (daring/Bold Jumping spider): has some big eyes, kinda cute though.

 

[Nubcaek]

It sounds like a Phidippus Audax (daring/Bold Jumping spider):






Close?

<Edit> From the University of Arkansas:

Aha that's the one....hmm introduced to southern California maybe that's why I haven't seen one of these before

 

[oldcrankyman]

Here's a photo of a similar spider we found today in a Christmas decoration, also in S CA.

 

[Amelia]

Good lord, I love jumpers. So freaking cute.

 

[Zman181]

Very Pretty

 

[captmarga]

I found one of these fellows (P. audax) at the farm two weeks ago. The Goblin is now living in a big 4x4" acrylic cube in my T room, and happily webbing away. He's munched several little crickets. Funny thing, my little guy never jumped, even when I was handling him.

They do look a lot like a miniature Tarantula!

Marga

 

[Silberrücken]

Tarantulas, or Bulldogs?

Here is Nightmare...

S.

 

[Silberrücken]

(it would help if I added the pic, I think... :wall: )

 

[Silberrücken]

had to resize it