I live in the Northwest Chicagoland area. Found this monster on a sticky trap, it's one mean looking spider, anyone know what it is? It's about the diameter of a quarter.
Orange legs, red body, very large mandibles and fangs compared to most spiders I see around here.
A rather common spider known as a woodlouse spider because it supposedly specializes in preying on terrestrial crustaceans in the order Isopoda known as sowbugs, pillbugs, woodlice, roly polys, etc., using its large fangs to penetrate the tough exoskeletons of its victims. These spiders are not dangerous to humans, but likely could give you a painful bite should you try to pick up one of them...
See http://spiderhugger.com/meet-spider-dysdera-crocata/ for more detailed information on this interesting critter.
