Help identifying friendly(?) spider

Hey there,

I used to be terrified of spiders, but after reading Howl's Moving Castle, I've grown quite fond of them. I no longer kill them, in fact, I don't interfere with them at all, but I'm still kind of scared, and my inability to identify whether a spider is dangerous or not doesn't help.

So the last couple of days, this spider has been crawling around my desk, under my computer wires, etc. Just a few moments ago I saw it crawling up my arm and freaked out a little. I used a tissue to transport it back to the table, where I managed to snap a couple of fairly well-focused pictures (my camera doesn't like macro photography). It then ran away (I'm pretty sure it just jumped off the table onto the floor!).

Can anyone identify it? And if I let it walk over my skin, is that dangerous? Is that dangerous with spiders in general, and how should I handle them so that they don't bite me?

Thanks!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7096/7180923192_270facd780_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7180926168_7473d2194b_b.jpg

I'm using flickr pictures because the forum doesn't seem to upload mine.

I've seen lots of complaints lately about pictures not uploading.

Well, it does not look like a Jumping spider, which is my favorite friendly one. THey are a bit stockier with sturdier shorter legs.

Generally I think spiders will not bite unless squeezed. That though includes accidental squeezing, if they are close to you and you don't know it. There aren't many really dangerous venemous spiders.

For some reason, I'm leaning toward a Crab spider. Just by the way it appears to be moving. Definitely not any of the dangerous ones I know. Enjoy your friend, he'll reward by eating other things you really DON'T want in your house.

Could it be a Wolf spider? Sally ,what do you think? FD? Where are you?

Hi kwanjin~
From what I can see, I don't think it's stocky enough to be a wolf spider. And I think of crab spiders as having the extra-long front legs. So I think this is outside my limited ID range; one of those vaguely not too threatenng things i see in the housee once on a while but not real often.

I wish I could see it better. I tried enlarging it but that didn't help.

Not sure either, but definitely not dangerous.

Hey thanks :) Now I'm not worried by the fact that I lost track of him.

I'm pretty sure that elsewhere yesterday I saw a jumping spider, with the big eyes at the front. He was little and cute, but by the time I grabbed my camera he ran away!

Today I saw a bigger and creepier spider: here's a picture

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5199/7190154828_6d7aeb16d6_z.jpg

And while I'm at it, last year I saw this gigantic dude:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7190145276_db0989c773_b.jpg

obviously it wasn't a spider, but he did seem to have a huge stinger, whether real or just to ward off predators I don't know. At one point, he calmly sat on my dad's finger.

Your other friend is a dragonfly. No stingers there. Ovipositor, yes.

Spider is a jumping spider in genus Platycryptus - http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/87930459

Thanks flapdoodle!

I've had more interesting insects in this house than any other I've ever lived in.

Just today I saw a large beetle upside down by my chair. At first I thought I had stepped on it, but it looks like I had just accidentally flipped it on its back. It does tend to move slowly though - I hope he's okay! I let it go outside in the garden:

Here he is upside down, the way I found him
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7254214784_071276d8a2_b.jpg

Right side up
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8025/7254209992_948a18d6d3_b.jpg

Crawling away into the grass
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7226/7254202212_b803110d23_k.jpg

Was he pretty harmless? I'm assuming he was a beetle, but I'm such a noob...

I also saw another big spider, but he's just crawled into the space between the door and frame, and now I can't open it or I'll squish him! Silly little thing. (I'm desperately trying to make myself think of these things as cute because I'm still pretty scared by them).

Got a picture of that spider. His legs look kind of sticky? Also, I'm wondering if he's going to do anything with that ant.

https://secure.flickr.com/photos/79535192@N08/7254238398/sizes/l/in/photostream/

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/7254256212_fe0ff871fa_b.jpg

Now he just looks downright scary!

He didn't do anything with the ant though, and I just realized - he's missing a leg! Now I get why the poor thing moves so carefully. Will it grow back?

The beetle is a female stag beetle; males have much longer 'jaws' - http://maria.fremlin.de/stagbeetles/photos_lc_id.html (not same species as yours).
The spider is a ground spider in family Gnaphosidae - harmless.

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