Very Strange Spider - ID help?

RoachGirlRen

Arachnoangel
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I keep finding this peculiar species of spider along trails in NY and PA. I've been jokingly referring to it as the "Northern Spiny-Butted Trail Spider," as it always seems to have its web strewn across trails. But I'd love to know an actual species name for this unique little critter. So... what have we got here, experts?

 

Venom

Arachnoprince
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That is Micrathena gracilis, the spined Micrathena. Beautiful, and bizarre to be sure!:)
 

Ted

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i have collected these in red/yellow/and white all on the same tree!

very hard to preserve the color after death.
 

cacoseraph

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i have collected these in red/yellow/and white all on the same tree!

very hard to preserve the color after death.
have you tried resin casting to preserve color? i know that centipede coloration is basically impossible to preserve for any amount of time in alcohol, but i saw a resin cast that had very bright colors that was supposed to be like, over a year old, iirc

those'd make one hell of a paper weight!
 

Moltar

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We've got those in the woods down here in Maryland too. Very cool lil buggies. I could definitely do without the face height webs stretched across the trail though.
 

Ted

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have you tried resin casting to preserve color? i know that centipede coloration is basically impossible to preserve for any amount of time in alcohol, but i saw a resin cast that had very bright colors that was supposed to be like, over a year old, iirc

those'd make one hell of a paper weight!
i havent resin cast any bugs..just because it seemed like it takes away from the specimen a bit.
but thats an idea..i may have to try that!
 

Vfox

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Everyone around my neck of the woods calls them crab spiders. And yes, they ALWAYS make webs across trails, which is REALLY annoying for someone like me who is always in the woods, lol.
 

8+)

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This is one of the only spiders that has ever tried to bite me. I ran into one's web in the woods and while trying to untangle myself, it tried to bite my arm. I brushed it off before it was able to penetrate the skin, though.

If it did bite, I imagine it wouldn't be much to worry about.
 

Vfox

Arachnobaron
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Most any spider can bite you, but these guys arn't dangerous. At most you'll get a little burning spot with some swelling and itching, basically no worse than a mosquito or deer fly.
 

pitbulllady

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We've got those in the woods down here in Maryland too. Very cool lil buggies. I could definitely do without the face height webs stretched across the trail though.
No kidding! We've had a population explosion of this species, plus Microthena sagitatta and Gasteracantha canceriformes, all of which LOOOOOVE to build webs across pathways at face height. Outdoor chores or excursions into the woods to pick grapes is made a lot more "interesting" by these spiders, that's for certain!

pitbulllady
 

pitbulllady

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Is it true they can sting you or not??
No spider can sting, though most do have venom and many can bite(there are also many who cannot penetrate human skin). I've seen these put up some rather ferocious threat displays rivaling a ticked-off T. blondi in defense of their webs, and I've actually had one go so far as to grab the tip of my finger with her forelegs, but I've never been bitten by one. It's possible that this is one of the species who cannot successfully bite a person due to the small size of their fangs. Comparably-sized Jumping Spiders have huge fangs and chelicerae compared to these. I doubt a bite from one of these spiders would have much consequences to it at all, if it did succede in getting through the skin.

pitbulllady
 

Code Monkey

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whats the lifespan of a female in captivity?
The adults don't overwinter; they have an egg sag they attach flat on bark/debris and that's what does the overwintering. I'd wager if you collected one in the late spring time when adults start showing up you might get a year in captivity, but that's probably the long estimate.
 

KUJordan

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I should have taken a picture of my face and bike helmet after riding some of the mountain bike trails around Clinton Lake here in Lawrence this fall. It looked like spiderman had attacked it! They cover the trails along with some of the Araneus sp and going fast on a bike you don't see their webs until it's way too late. They are cool little spiders, though.
 

Black Widow88

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I've seen these too. I knew that they were Microthena spiders but I wasn't sure what species they were. And yes they come in many different colors.

Although I've only see the ones in the photo and the black ones. :( I wanna see the Arrow Shaped Microthena in person alive. They're so pretty! ♥

Black Widow88
 
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