Friday, November 6, 2009

An Imaginary Bag of Marshmallows™...

...to whomever can identify this spider, found hiding cozily in between our bed sheets.

4 comments:

  1. I'm not sure what kind of spider it is, as I can't clearly make out the markings and you don't tell its size, but I would guess it's either a common house spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) or maybe a false black widow (Steatoda grossa). I think sometimes the darkness of a spider depends on what it has been eating, so the pictures might be darker than your specimen. Here are some interesting sites that may be helpful:

    Frequently Encountered Spiders in California

    Common House Spider

    False Black Widow

    Steatoda Spiders

    Spiders on the Web of Orange County, California
    This is a great page, with lots of photos. If it doesn't make you feel crawly, or at least make your nose itch, there's something wrong with you!

    Here's an article on Brown Widow Spiders, which Rie said you found earlier:
    Brown Widow Spiders

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  2. My guess was the Zygiella x-notata (at least until I got thoroughly creeped out and stopped looking), but I'm not sure if the coloring is quite right. According to its wiki page, it REALLY likes warm places, which would explain why it was all set to snuggle in bed with you. (ew! ew! ew!) The wiki page also has a cool picture of its distinctive web. If you see a web like that with a pie piece missing around your house, it might be what it was.

    *shudder*

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  3. Here's the correct link to Frequently Encountered Spiders in California: http://nature.berkeley.edu/~stevelew/cbcstuff/common_spiders/big_spi_quilt.html.
    This one really works.

    Sorry about that!

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  4. O_O There are too many spiders living in your house!

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