Hello, I live in Ky and we had this lovely visitor out on our deck very late last night. Our original thought was it is a wolf spider but after research I have thought maybe it could be something else. Can you help us identify it? thanks
Trying to identify this lovely visitor
Hello, I live in Ky and we had this lovely visitor out on our deck very late last night. Our original thought was it is a wolf spider but after research I have thought maybe it could be something else. Can you help us identify it? thanks
Looks to be a species of Dolomedes, or Fishing Spider. Dolomedes with these mottled patterns are commonly found far from water, hunting much like Wolf Spiders. They can grow large, but are gentle. I agree that these are beautiful critters, as all spiders are!
Thanks, We have several bodies of water around our home. Most people have told us it was a wolf spider but I really didn't believe it was. I had fishing spider as a possibility.
My fear was that is was a hobo spider.
Hobo Spiders (Tegenaria agrestis) have never once been proven to be any more dangerous than any 'harmless' common spider. It's all a myth. They only live in the Northwestern portion of the US Rockies.
That is good to know.
Just to clarify, it's not entirely myth, it is based off the research performed by Dr. Vests where the hobo spiders were forced to bite shaved rabbit flesh, which he documented as inflicting dermal necrosis.Originally Posted by MyssArachnomancer
However you are very correct in the fact that recent studies all point to this spider being not the least bit dangerous. Other attempts at forced envenomations have proven to produce no dermal necrosis, and the spider has been shown to not be capable of transmitting other ulcerating bacteria such as MRSA, making it a very unlikely suspect in all of the necrosis blame being pointed at the spider.
I'm pretty certain that is Dolomedes tenebrosus based on size, body position, and location.
It's also interesting to note that in Europe, hobo spiders are not regarded as dangerous to humans.
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"There is no shame in not knowing. The problem arises when irrational thought and attendant behavior fill the vacuum left by ignorance." --Neil deGrasse Tyson
I was amazed by the number of people that freaked out about this spider. They immediately asked if I killed it after taking the picture. I let him be and he went about his business. I have continued to look for him to make a return appearance but have not seen him yet. Thank you all for your input.
Stephmarie:
I agree that this is a fishing spider, most likely Dolomedes tenebrosus. It is a common species found mostly away from water. They are among our largest spiders.
Eric
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