What type of egg sac?

Towerchick

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I just found this little gem in a moving blanket in the garage. I don't see a parent hanging out by the sac, but I want to take it in and see if it will hatch. At first, I thought it might be a grass spider sac, but there's a ball in the middle... Are these jumping spider babies? Black lace Weavers? Sorry for the quality of the photos, these are the clearest shots that came out.

Also, any recommendations for how to move these into a container since they're woven down on a large blanket? IMG_20200424_204959.jpg IMG_20200424_205015.jpg ?
 

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Poonjab

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Some species of jumping spider egg sack. Harmless if you were curious.
 

Towerchick

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Hi Poonjab- thanks for answering! The little white bumps in the sac are turning darker and I think that they are going to start emerging soon. I will post updates.

I have other spiders that are gravid and/or have eggs that are waiting to hatch. This is a very exciting time right now!
 

Towerchick

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They don't appear to have the body shape of a jumping spider though. Is this because they're still really young?
 

Poonjab

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My observation could have been completely wrong.
 

Towerchick

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Originally I was thought the egg sac looked like either jumping spiders or black lace Weavers, so perhaps they're black lace Weavers? If so, instead of fruit flies, I wonder if I should put a recently dead spider in there since their babies eat the mother when the emerge from the egg sac? (She was nowhere to be found when I found the eggs though)
🤔

They could also be a third option that hasen't been mentioned! We shall see as they get bigger. 👍. I'll take pictures with my nice camera tomorrow to see if I can zoom in with a better shot than I took with my phone camera today.
 

Poonjab

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Originally I was thought the egg sac looked like either jumping spiders or black lace Weavers, so perhaps they're black lace Weavers? If so, instead of fruit flies, I wonder if I should put a recently dead spider in there since their babies eat the mother when the emerge from the egg sac? (She was nowhere to be found when I found the eggs though)
🤔

They could also be a third option that hasen't been mentioned! We shall see as they get bigger. 👍. I'll take pictures with my nice camera tomorrow to see if I can zoom in with a better shot than I took with my phone camera today.
Would be interesting to try pre killed with them. Report back once you have more info.
 

Towerchick

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Well, it looks like success! This is what I woke up to this morning...

The other white items in there are little bits of damp paper towel for them to drink from. (I find this to be much easier than fine misting and equally effective)
 

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Towerchick

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Update on the spiders...I still keep forgetting my nice camera at work, so I haven't been able to zoom in for a clear, close look yet. I'm now wondering if they are some type of crevice weaver? That's my best guess based on the grouping of the reflection of their little eyes and their leg stance. Thoughts?
 

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The Snark

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Wondering why a Pholcid got in on things. Looks like predation. BTW, the original webbing nest appearance is reminiscent of typical Loxosceles webs. They love cloth/clothing as hide-outs.
 

Towerchick

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Amaurobius ferox (black lace Weaver) was what I originally thought the egg sac was... (That or jumping spiders, as you had also guessed they might be)... And they did eat pre killed (and have been continuing to), so maybe I should quit trying to figure out if they're something else and just let the little sprouts grow up! Lol
 

The Snark

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@The Snark - do violin spiders come in dark coloration? These aren't as leggy as I imagine loxosceles spiderlings would be?
The slings don't look Loxo. You're right about them being leggy. I think you're too far north for them, but they are professional hitchhikers. You can't really go by coloration or markings with slings. Often they vary drastically from the adults.
 

Towerchick

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@The Snark - very interesting, I didn't know that about the coloration and now I'm excited to see what they end up looking like! This is the first time that I've ever raised spiders from eggs and it's all really exciting. I most definitely appreciate you and @Poonjab weighing in on this thread. 👍

I found a brown recluse last summer on my luggage when I was unpacking for camping...I normally travel frequently for work, so my guess was that he had hitchhiked from my previous trip so he could go on vacation too! Lol.

On a side note, I currently have a cellar spider that had been carrying her babies around for the past 3 weeks. I was expecting them to start emerging soon, but when I got home from work today they were completely gone. Mom was chilling on her web as if nothing had happened. There weren't any traces of evidence as to them ever being there to begin with either. My guess is that she ate them, but I'm wondering why all of a sudden?
 

The Snark

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On a side note, I currently have a cellar spider that had been carrying her babies around for the past 3 weeks. I was expecting them to start emerging soon, but when I got home from work today they were completely gone. Mom was chilling on her web as if nothing had happened. There weren't any traces of evidence as to them ever being there to begin with either. My guess is that she ate them, but I'm wondering why all of a sudden?
Probably ate them. For all their spindly legged apparent ineptness they are voracious predators. But first look in the nooks, cranny's and corners of the ceiling for the kids. They are tiny and as mobile as the adults from day 1. I know that adults are often communal with intermingling webs, but not sure how they regard their offspring.
 

Towerchick

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Update on the slings. Their first molts since coming out of the egg sac are visible. It's crazy how they're so in sync!

In general, slings molt 2-3 times before coming out (and these came out looking pretty developed), so would it be appropriate to call these 3rd or 4th instar?
 

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