Popcorn spiders?

[Neurozool]

I grew up on a small farm in Southern Oregon (think desert) We must have had about 20 'popcorn' spiders. About the ugliest spiders I've ever seen- but they never hurt us. They also didn't have the neatest webs, and they didn't seem to mind living very close together. Is there such a thing as a 'popcorn' spider???

 

[cacoseraph]

why were they called popcorn spiders?


incidentily common names can sometimes be intensely local... so you might not get a lot of hits for the common name

 

[Neurozool]

They were pale yellow/beige and their thorax was a huge and bumpy, with lots of points- like a piece of popcorn

 

[cacoseraph]

They were pale yellow/beige and their thorax was a huge and bumpy, with lots of points- like a piece of popcorn

now THAT is probably going to mean something to someone



... just not me. hehehe.


what was the size like and what kind of web did they make?


i will try to ask as many hopefully useful q's in the hopes that a true spider person will come along and be able to make a good guess from them



check out Gasteracantha though. google image it
er, here
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=Gasteracantha+&gbv=2
and Micrathena
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&svnum=50&hl=en&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=micrathena

check those out.

 

[John Apple]

Well I am not thinking Micranthena as the webs they make are almost perfect in orb design

 

[Neurozool]

They made 'cobweb' type webs. The only places I saw them were in wood structures that were dark. They were big! maybe 2 inches, but the huge thorax was most of that. Like I said, they all seemed to hang around each other. They never harmed us, but then again, we NEVER wanted to bother them. The other odd thing, I don't think I ever say them eat anything...strange. But then again, I was younger. (10-15)

 

[cacoseraph]

is that 2" legspan or bodylength?

er... nevermind. almost certainly must be legspan


was teh web smooth or rough?

 

[Neurozool]

Well, yes 2" leg span, but the trorax's were also very large, and varied between spiders. They were mostlyround-ish..they were always very swollen-if that makes sense...as to the webs, I'm not sure what rough and smooth means, but I'd say rough.

 

[Johnnyster]

Barn spider?

 

[Neurozool]

ya, that might be it, but I would really need to see a side view to know for certain....

 

[problemchildx]

Could it be an Argiope? Not sure if they are native to that area, but it sounds like what you are describing to me. Although it could be anything.

 

[Neurozool]

Could it be an Argiope? Not sure if they are native to that area, but it sounds like what you are describing to me. Although it could be anything.

Well, I'm not sure. They had huge 'warty' thorax's all were uniform color (beige) and did not have orb webs, and several grown spiders would live rather close to each other. I also never saw them anywhere but in dark wooden structures.....

 

[Johnnyster]

Is it this one??

***OH man,,,,I just couldnt help it,,,LOL
(I need to see a graphics shrink)

 

[Neurozool]

well... they are not white, and not that warty..but the legs are dead on!
You could still see the heads, but the 'popcorn' butt was very prominent

 

[problemchildx]

LOL very very nice johnny :clap: :clap:

 

[Johnnyster]

This one was posted as a popcorn spider on flickr.... it appears that the image colors were manipulated.

 

[Neurozool]

That looks more like a hematoma spider to me

 

[GloryHammer]

popcorn spider possible identity.

From the pictures online people are posting and saying it is a popcorn spider, it appears to me to be an araneus diadematus.