Treebeard found this false black widow (Steatoda grossa) hanging out inside the bluebird box in the front yard. I guess if you really didn't like spiders or just couldn't stand to look at them closely, you might mistake this for a black widow. It's a pretty spider, sort of dark purpley-brown instead of black, though. Also, its abdomen is not as round (globose) as a true widow.
According to Spiders of the Eastern United States: A Photographic Guide, it "...is a long-lived species, attaining an age of six years."
Pretty cool, huh?
3 comments:
What a widespread spider this is. It's the most common species in my garage (I always have to shake out my gumboots before pulling them on). The main prey item (in the garage) seems to be wood lice.
Nice picture!
Eeeeeyyyyuuuuuu!
I like spiders and this is a nice shot. Thanks for sharing.
Troy
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