CLOSED: Who am I?

I have found many of these in the garage this Spring and Summer and a couple outside. The picture is of one that I must have disturbed while moving plants. He just sat there posing for the camera and went I went back to moving the plants he left. One of ones I found in the garage was hanging out in my plant tray and up under the lip. It would run away if I got too close but then would come back. I'm guessing it was catching and eating bugs around my seedlings. There was also a very cottony web under the lip of the tray that I guessed belonged to my bug muncher. Anywho I finally got it to climb in a jar one day and released it outside. Who knows it might be the one in the picture.

Thanks in advance,
Tami :)

Another pic.










Why is my pic not enlarging?

This message was edited Nov 24, 2009 6:06 AM

A photo in clearer focus would be helpful. Superficially, this looks like a wolf spider in the genus Rabidosa, but the dark marking on their abdomen usually extends nearly the entire length of the abdomen. - see http://tinyurl.com/ygr5fn5 for an example. There are spiders in other families with somewhat similar markings (see http://tinyurl.com/yjlpnjg for an example); all are harmless to humans.

testing photo

This photo likewise is not clear enough to see either the eyes or the ens of the abdomen clearly. If it has spinnerets readily visible from above, it would not be a wolf spider.

This photo likewise is not clear enough to see either the eyes or the end of the abdomen clearly. If it has spinnerets readily visible from above, it would not be a wolf spider.

suunto,

I believe you nailed the spider's id with the second url, http://tinyurl.com/yjlpnjg. That is exactly how it looked. I couldn't find much information on the Thanatus formicinus. I am pretty sure the cottony web was her's because she would sit close by unless I got too close. The webbing was oblong with an opening on one end.

Thanks for your help. I'm sorry my pictures weren't that great. Next time I see one I will tell them to stand up and show me their belly. LOL.

Tami :)

The web sounds like those constructed by grass spiders (Agelenopsis sp.; family Agelenidae) - see http://tinyurl.com/yddc9hr for an image. Although these spiders also have dark stripes on their cephalothorax, their abdominal pattern usually is different from that of your spider, and females have very prominent spinnerets at the end of their abdomen - see http://tinyurl.com/ybpudwg for an example. Running crab spiders such as Thanatus sp. do not spin capture webs.

No, I don't believe it is the Agelenopsis sp.; family Agelenidae. Hmmm. Well I'm just going to have to get better pics next time so we can figure out who she belongs to. :)

Thanks again!

Tami :)