Steatoda sp. eggsac

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
My housemate happened to look in on my spider yesterday, and we got quite a surprise.

Genus is Steatoda, not sure of the species, but it looks like either a male S.grossa or S.capensis, captured in england, small, reddish-brown in color, wasp-like yellow markings accross the abdomen.

Can't get a pic atm, due to whats going on, but bugger me sideways if 'he' hasn't gone and laid an eggsack, 'he' looked pretty plump, and now much smaller.

Question is, are there any Steatoda species in which the female resembles a male S.grossa/S.capensis, in terms of the V-shaped hymenopteran-esque markings?
 

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
Anybody?

I am new to keeping spiders, and I could do with some input on this, I was sure this spider was a male Steatoda sp. but since she has layed an egg sack, then this is obviously not the case.

How long should it take to hatch, how many slings is your average Steatoda sp. brood likely to be, very roughly? And how should it be cared for? and for that matter, how should the slings themselves be cared for.

I am imagining a LOT of spiders, not all of which make it to maturity, I will of course keep as many as possible, give away or sell as many as possible after that, and release the rest into my house, if there are ones I cannot care for or rehome in some way.

Also are males or females the more toxic? I am strongly inclined to guess females, given their similarity to widows, toxicologically, morphologically and in general.

Apologies for the self-bump, but I figured after slipping to the third set of posts back, since I had received no response, then I would get none, if I didn't make this thread visible again.

I really could do with the help here, I want to get more into keeping inverts, this little lady was not a planned aquisition though, so without the experience of those with more knowledge and experience than I, I am not going to gain much, at least, not without putting the health of my animals at risk making educated guesses as to their care, and I am not willing to do that.

My experience is ALL in the field of toxicology and molecular biology, none in actual practical care for the inverts themselves, I am fairly well versed in general where it comes to natural history and biology/biochemistry in general, but actually keeping spiders and the like as pets, is new to me.

Originally wanted a latro, but who happened to scurry across my lounge floor as I walked downstairs for a midnight bong and some snacks, but my 'lil girl :)
 
Last edited:

Widowman10

Arachno WIDOW
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
4,212
got a writeup on this coming in a few days. you'll be fine for at least a few weeks though.
 

John Apple

Just a guy
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 26, 2003
Messages
1,148
sounds like you have Steatoda triangulosa...these are all over the world as far as I know....the sac will hatch on its own in about 40 days under normal temps....The toxicity is no worse that other steatoda or parasteatoda...of course this does not include other 'comb' foot spiders such as latrodectus...
keep it in a plastic 1 gallon jar upside down [easy to remove waste and dead insects by unscrewing the bottom [lid]...cool lil spiders
lets see a pic
 

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
Do please link me to the writeup once you get it done widowman.

Anybody have a caresheet for Steatoda species in general, any of them? that way I can at least get a feel for the needs of the family as a whole before I ID the specific species.
 

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
So...Have you written that guide yet Widowman? I am new to keeping inverts, although I intend next, on getting myself a latro, I'm thinking L.mactans, L.tridecimguttatus, or if I can swing it, just maybe, have an ozzy friend of mine try and catch me some redbacks (I cannot currently remember the binomial name, one of those moments where one has it on the tip of ones tongue, but it just won't come), Atrax. and in particular, huge top of the Tsathoggua wish list of 2010, Missulena spp. and perhaps Aname atra, the wishbone spider, (oddly, no mention whatsoever, save two mentions in two threads of Aname spp. and certainly nobody keeping them, but yes, redback and even more so, mouse spiders are first on the list, although P.transvaalicus, I am just saving for the tanks and heat mats, then its time for a M/F pair, and setting up an adorable scorpion lady dating agency:D

Looks like my girl is definately Steatoda triangulosa, from all the attempts to ID I have done, I don't know where in hell my camera is at the moment, but I will scoop her up and get a pic done for a definate ID (ish, or at least the collective wisdom of Arachnoboards members's best ed-yoo-ma-cated guesses)

She now has a name too, Kassiane, named after the well-known autistic activist Kassiane Sibley, a friend of mine, and all around (rather cute, and definately kick arse, I might say)

I really do need care info though, a caresheet for the species, or at least the more closely related smaller Steatoda species to go from, I am going solely from what careful experimentation yields.
 

Widowman10

Arachno WIDOW
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 25, 2007
Messages
4,212
got a writeup on this coming in a few days. you'll be fine for at least a few weeks though.
finally got it uploaded and working...

Do please link me to the writeup once you get it done widowman.
alright, HERE it is :D

Hope it's a good read:D
hope so too. i highly regard your opinion. if you get a chance to peruse through it, please let me know what else needs to be added / expounded upon. i would really appreciate it.
 

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
Thanks a bunch Widowman, I will check it out soon. I would never normally take on a pet of any variety without doing a lot of research into its care beforehand and familiarizing myself with the needs of the animal(s) in question.

But, in the case of either an animal that just turns up, such as kassiane (my spider, named after a famous autistic activist friend of mine), or an animal in need of a helping paw, that is another matter.
 

The Spider Faery

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 19, 2009
Messages
696
My Steatoda triangulosa just laid a sac too!

I'm worried about any future spiderlings escaping through the holes. Would a nylon stocking over the lid work? How many viable babies does this species usually have? I read 30, which isn't unmanageable but I'd probably still want nature to take its place to cannibalise some, because I don't know what I'd do with that many.
 
Last edited:

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
I am still waiting for the oldest one to hatch, no sign as yet.

Some darkening has occurred, I am unsure of its significance.

Sadly, the mother died, just recently, of unknown causes.

I need to get myself something bigger than a glass jar...I think I might just get myself a P.transvaalicus, rather than another spider, although some of the mygalomorphs do appeal, particularly Missulena spp. but otherwise, I think I am definately going to go for the scorpion....aside from the 100+ Steatoda spp. I might just end up with if/when these egg sacks hatch...although what on earth I am going to do with that many spiders, I do not know.

Just how long DOES this species take to hatch out?

I would offer sell some to the local pet shop, but not in this case, I just reported them to the RSPCA, I have been watching the bastards keep a sugar glider, alone, in a tiny cage, that is about 1 foot wide, by two deep and 3 foot long. Poor thing has been there for months, and if they are willing to do that, the day they get anything from me, is the day the denizens of hell who are financially badly off enough to get benefits qualify for cold weather fuel payments.
 

Tsathoggua

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
23
Well now, it looks like I am a father.

Although sadly, a lone parent.

She passed away a short time ago, I suspect possible foul play, by bipedal mammalian trash, that is not fit be called human, and for comparing her to any bipedal ape, a chimp or bonobo would rip my arms and legs off and use them to cave in my face.

I think my former housemate, who recently turned out to be a manipulative, dangerous, scheming, vengeful jealous thieving, parasite, who I took in because of her desperate circumstances, claims of familial abuse, load of bollocks of course, stole my pain meds, left me to withdraw and then gave me tiny bits of her own, just to make herself look like a wonderful, kind god damned saint. stole other meds that if I used them in the quantity I am prescribed, as often as I am given what I am given, I would have had hospital grade panic attacks and probably seizures from withdrawals, luckily I got them all back after she attacked me, and then called the pigs when she got floored, who promptly nicked her, locked her in a cell and then tried deporting her back to the US.

She lodged an asylum claim after she attacked me, I was going to take all her stuff in bags from her, and dump it in the nearest airport, dump her with it, and leave her there, but she called the filth, tried to give them a sob story, and got exposed as a lying, thieving little serpent in my nest, even tried bursting in on me getting dressed.

Pretty sure she killed kassiane (named the mother spider after a famous autistic rights advocate and campaigner, and also a friend of mine), I doubt either egg sack would be alive now if the mother hadn't been in a different jar.

one night, perfectly healthy, in her own jar, next morning, few hours later, dead:(


But there are many tiny children, so she didn't die without bringing more to the world :)

Think I should seperate the unhatched egg sack? I don't want the lot of them eating each other until there is only one or two left. What should I feed them at the moment? there is no way in hell they could take any kind of cricket, they are at the most, the size of a pin head. I am strongly inclined to seperate that other egg sack.

Would digging up a load of surface soil, and carefully picking out various micro-fauna work well as a food source? for there is nothing else I can think of small enough.And I cannot separate the lot from each other until I do have such food, or they will surely starve.
 
Top