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Spider

Started by Guest_PhilipKukulski_* , Feb 13 2009 02:10 PM

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#1 Guest_PhilipKukulski_*

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Posted 13 February 2009 - 02:10 PM

Having this happen a second time, I grabbed my camera and got one okay picture.

This time it was a topminnow, last time it was a Heterandria formosa.

I used this picture in a PowerPoint program called "Native Fish Enthusiast: a personal defense" that I gave to the Southwest Michigan Aquarium Society and to the Motor City Aquarium Society. My audience grand total was over 55. I got some good questions from the audiences, though their enthusiasm did not compare with a group of NANFAns arriving at a collecting location.

#2 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 13 February 2009 - 02:20 PM

Good shot. We've encountered some truly amazing wolf spiders in streamside foliage in Tennessee & Alabama. Luckily, no bites yet.

#3 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 13 February 2009 - 03:27 PM

Very cool! I've had them do that with Gambusia when I'm netting ditches. They're single-minded; being yanked out of the water and a couple feet into the air doesn't distract them from an easy meal.

By the way that's Dolomedes triton, the six-spotted fishing spider.

#4 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 13 February 2009 - 04:31 PM

Cool picture Phillip and thanks for posting. I love spiders and especially love getting the chance to see a fishing spider on the seine, however, I have not had the chance to see one with a fish!

Blake

#5 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 13 February 2009 - 07:59 PM

Nathan, what spider is this? I do not know if it is a wolf or a fishing? My friend and I found it at night, while lifting up rocks (near a creek) if that is worth anything. I love spiders and insects and always make an effort to learn them, but I don't know about this one. I assume it is something very common.

Anyways, here is the picture. My friend took the picture.

Attached Images

#6 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 14 February 2009 - 06:15 PM

I believe that's a true wolf (Lycosidae), but its splayed posture is more typical of Dolomedes. The best field character is the arrangement of the eyes. Dolomedes have two slightly curved rows of four eyes each, one behind the other; lycosids have an anterior row of small eyes and a posterior quadrangle of large eyes. I think I see the quadrangle on your spider.

#7 Guest_sschluet_*

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Posted 16 February 2009 - 09:32 PM

This past Sept, I was brining in some wood from the wood stack. A large wolf spider ran up my arm from the wood I was carrying. Seeing it was already in the garage, I placed it in a empty 5 gallon tank. Initially, just to show my wife. I set up a tank with sand, gravel, and bark. I really enjoy watching it's behavior, a very interesting beast. To say the least my wife is not a fan.

#8 Guest_Mysteryman_*

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Posted 17 February 2009 - 02:14 AM

These little guys ( wolf spiders ) are everywhere around my area.
Their eyeshine is orange, and if you take a flashlight and hold it beside your head facing front at night, you'll see hundreds of little orange eyes reflected back at you in just about any spot you'd ever look. It's kinda creepy, but also pretty cool.

I like how these guys have a bit of personality, which is maybe an odd thing to say about a spider, but they just seem to be a lot smarter than the average arachnid. I've never bothered trying to keep one as a pet or anything, but when they get into my house I just ignore them and let them work. They do a pretty good job of hunting down other vermin. As for getting bitten occasionally, I've never been hit by one of these, although other species have been a problem. I really hate waking up in the middle of the night with a spider on my face that was trying to drink my drool.

It's those darned assassin bugs that really bug me, though. Have you ever been bitten by one of those? It hurts more than any mere bug bite ever should, and the pain lingers for days. At least Chagas' Disease isn't a big problem around here... yet.

#9 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 17 February 2009 - 11:10 AM

Yeah, those reduviids are nasty. I got hit by a wheelbug (Arilus cristatus) once; I've been a lot more respectful of them ever since. Some of the aquatic hemipterans, like notonectids and belostomatids, pack a wallop too.

#10 Guest_Mysteryman_*

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Posted 19 February 2009 - 04:22 AM

*ugh*
Wheelbugs.
I HATE 'em.

About a month and a half ago I got bit by one of those little squishy orange & black ones, and today the wound still hurts if I touch it. That utterly pales in comparison to the pain of a big brown wheelbug, though. One of those got me right in the palm of my hand several years ago, and I cried like a little kid for about a half hour. I imagine that's what crucifixion must have felt like, for a nail through my hand couldn't have felt much different. I don't know why they inflict so much pain, but it's really freaky, isn't it?
Gas station lights at night tend to attract wheelbugs in great number around here, with the little suckas just swarming all over everything. They feed on the other insects also attracted by the lights. I can't even guess how many people get bit every year by them, but it has to be quite a few.

For those who don't know, wheelbugs get their name from having a peculiar armored structure growing from their central thorax which looks for all the world like half a little gear or cogwheel sticking out of them.

I've been bitten by many things over the years, but I think that the only thing that ever hurt worse than the wheelbug was the Gila Monster. They're really that bad, so watch out for them. Texas has Chagas' Disease on top of the pain, so be especially wary if in that state.

Okay, sorry about all this; back to the spider discussion...

#11 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 19 February 2009 - 12:03 PM

Wow, I didn't know Chagas' disease came that far north.

I'm still fond of Arilus. I have fond childhood memories of catching them in jars and feeding them grasshoppers. Here are a few photos:

Nymph:

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