Snow spider! Parasteatoda tepidariorum?

[RzezniksRunAway]

My boyfriend found this little dude hanging off of our porch 2 days ago. There are a lot of this kind living in the roof of our porch over the summer, and we encourage it. I was amazed to see it just hanging by a web about 3 feet long, swaying in the breeze. We grabbed it down and put it on the porch and it was completely immobile. It was below freezing, so instead of trying to put it up in to the roof again (and probably into another spiders house) we brought it inside. It slowly warmed up in our mud room before being brought into the house. I offered it water off of a paintbrush, and it did seem to drink some. Today it's a lot more active, it didn't want to go back into the jar and was throwing tiny, cute threat displays at me.

 

[pitbulllady]

Nope, not a Parasteatoda. It's one of the Orb Weavers, probably a Neoscona sp.. I'm really surprised this spider is still alive, since those are usually all gone by winter.

pitbulllady

 

[RzezniksRunAway]

Yep. You're right, I just looked it up. I saw a few of the Parasteatoda's climbing around on the porch in late November/early December when we had a few weird weeks of warmth up here in PA. They're our common species on our porch. The underside of our porch is a corrugated siding type, and they make their homes in the little channels. I'll have to get up on a ladder when spring comes around and investigate them a little bit more. I was pretty sure the Parasteatoda's had the monopoly on porch space, since they're the only ones we ever see out there except for the occasional unlucky Pholcidae, so this is an interesting development to our porch colony. It's already a little dramatic at night with so many of them, adding other species to the mix will just make it more fun to watch. The memo that I leave the porch light on to attract food probably got around.

Any idea of a captive lifespan? She (I believe) has a home until it gets warm out or she dies, whichever comes first.

 

[Psychocircus91]

Cool. And you brought him in yesterday? Hasn't it been like 15 degrees in PA?

 

[pitbulllady]

Yep. You're right, I just looked it up. I saw a few of the Parasteatoda's climbing around on the porch in late November/early December when we had a few weird weeks of warmth up here in PA. They're our common species on our porch. The underside of our porch is a corrugated siding type, and they make their homes in the little channels. I'll have to get up on a ladder when spring comes around and investigate them a little bit more. I was pretty sure the Parasteatoda's had the monopoly on porch space, since they're the only ones we ever see out there except for the occasional unlucky Pholcidae, so this is an interesting development to our porch colony. It's already a little dramatic at night with so many of them, adding other species to the mix will just make it more fun to watch. The memo that I leave the porch light on to attract food probably got around.

Any idea of a captive lifespan? She (I believe) has a home until it gets warm out or she dies, whichever comes first.

I'm shocked that she is still alive, honestly. These normally live out their entire lifespan within the scope of a single season, give or take a week or so. They normally appear in late summer around here, and by late fall, they're all dead. I would be surprised enough to find a live one here in South Carolina, but in PA? That's just unreal! This is definitely not typical, I can assure you!

pitbulllady

 

[RzezniksRunAway]

Yeah, it's been super freaking cold. I think being in the roof of the porch near the house may have saved him, but it was so weird. He was just dangling in the breeze. Weirdest thing ever to see. I won't hold my hopes up for it living super long then, although my adult jumper has been with me since October at this point, so maybe I'll get lucky.

 

[Smokehound714]

Either Larinioides patagiatus, or Larinioides cornutus, both occur in your region.

 

[RzezniksRunAway]

Well, Yes, Smokehound. I didn't compare ventral patterns, and this one looks more like the Lariniodes than the Neoscona. I'm leaning toward patagiatus, but what I can find says there is a dark middle band on metatarsus IV. and I'm not sure if there's a band or just the normal banding going into the tarsus. It does say that there are two pattern forms of L. patagiatus which can make it hard to distinguish between the species.

I'll be happy having it down to knowing what genus it's most likely in. Now I just have to set it up in a bigger enclosure, it really hates the jar that its in.

 

[Smokehound714]

Well, Yes, Smokehound. I didn't compare ventral patterns, and this one looks more like the Lariniodes than the Neoscona. I'm leaning toward patagiatus, but what I can find says there is a dark middle band on metatarsus IV. and I'm not sure if there's a band or just the normal banding going into the tarsus. It does say that there are two pattern forms of L. patagiatus which can make it hard to distinguish between the species.

I'll be happy having it down to knowing what genus it's most likely in. Now I just have to set it up in a bigger enclosure, it really hates the jar that its in.

let it free-range, lots of people keep orb weavers like this. since they stay put in one spot, they're no problem. I allow A. gemmoides to stay when they make their way inside. Seeing the morning rays shine in on the web makes it beautiful. Especially if you mist the web lightly (good way to give orb weavers water), it looks amazing.

 

[John Apple]

definately a larinioides....even in the frozen below zero weather you can find these guys on bridges and around waterways curled up in in a small purse web hide....after brought in they amazingly awaken, but of course not reccomended as these guys have rather weak webs made mainly for small flies and midges and moths

 

[RzezniksRunAway]

I'm finally able to go someplace today, so I'm going to grab it some crickets. Once I see it eat, I'll think about free-ranging it. I'm just a little worried about our cats, my sister-in-law and my step daughter. The latter two are going to be absolutely terrified, and the cats don't stop trying to get to things.

Would it be of any concern if it did bite? I have a 2.5 year old niece that comes over frequently, so I wouldn't want it to be something that could relocated and potentially harm her. She knows not to touch spiders right now, but she loves them. I wouldn't want to crush her curiosity this early. =(

 

[Smokehound714]

Nah, orb weavers are docile.