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Spider ID
updated: Sep 21, 2012, 2:11 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

I was wondering if anyone can help me identify this spider that was on me and then inexplicably jumped off and landed on my car. He was a nice size one. Is it dangerous?

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Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

SUMMERTIME	2012-09-21 02:17 PM
looks pretty scary.....
COMMENT 322773	2012-09-21 02:25 PM
Ahh, a prime example of phidippus clarus, a type of jumping spider (as witnessed by his aerobatics). He's about as dangerous to us as a steelhead trout and while he does have a venomous bite it won't cause too much of an issue if bitten, maybe some slight swelling and irritation.
COMMENT 322780	2012-09-21 02:57 PM
Those trout bones can be deadly.
COMMENT 322792	2012-09-21 03:24 PM
These little guys actually creep me out the most because when you try to catch one with a cup or magazine they mirror your every move and look you in the eye. One even attacked me as I approached it...jumping at me with full force!! No thanks....
COMMENT 322795	2012-09-21 03:39 PM
322773...Ahh, a prime example of someone who is close but not a cigar winner. That is Phiddippus johnsoni, commonly known as the red-backed jumping spider. Not dangerous.
COMMENT 322800	2012-09-21 03:50 PM
We used to call they "baby tarantulas" when i was a kid. And 792... how do you "catch" one with a magazine? Is that a euphemism for "smoosh"? ;)
COMMENT 322803	2012-09-21 04:04 PM
About ten years ago I had one living on my deck and I could look it in the eyes. I even took some "portrait" photos of it. Friendly, in my opinion.
ROGER DODGER	2012-09-21 04:05 PM
They pinch though..
COMMENT 322812P	2012-09-21 04:18 PM
I don't care what kind it is because I was bitten by a brown recluse and almost lost my foot. To me they are all creepy, and now I know there is a spider that jumps AND it looks at you! Where do you live?
COMMENT 322826	2012-09-21 05:06 PM
We seem to have an extended family of these guys move in each year. Thankfully they stay outside. We call them the 'jumping spiders' and they don't really bother us.
COMMENT 322831	2012-09-21 05:39 PM
Moving here from Lompoc recently I was surprised to see the different insects that Goleta houses and have had to become accustomed to the random bugs I come across. My first week here I encountered a snake in my apartment, too! Lot's of nice critters keeping Santa Barbara beautiful.
COMMENT 322836P	2012-09-21 06:45 PM
We had one of these guys living near our patio light years ago. They're about a centimeter big, and their skin looks like velvet. We named ours Pierre.
COMMENT 322848	2012-09-21 08:37 PM
836 & OUCHGAUCHO, you're my kind of people. 773, 795. There are loads of these little guys/gals in my front and back yard. I saw one today, hanging out on my Limelight zucchini plant. Cool spiders. I am a strong advocate for capture and release of any spiders/bugs in the house. (Buy a "Bugbuster," suck 'em up safely, and release. Works great for flies, moths, whatever.) Please note: NEVER should you grab or touch one of these spiders, which is what I did one day, accidentally. I was deadheading (removing old blooms) flowers, and got one of the most painful bites of my entire life! I saw the spider that bit me. It was the P. johnsoni. My finger was in agony for hours. Itched like crazy for days. Blistered and peeled. Not "dangerous," but certainly no picnic. Leave spiders be. I LOVE SPIDERS, but being bitten is no fun. Now, I shake each flower stalk before I snap off any dead blooms. (Try to wear gloves, but can't always remember.)
COMMENT 323000	2012-09-22 11:51 AM
Easy Solution: Take a wad of tissue or toilet paper, loosely wad up, and gently, burn down the car... Problem solved!
COMMENT 323092	2012-09-22 04:45 PM
Cute! I love these guys! Phiddipus of all species are my absolute favorites. I've seen ones with shiny golden abdomens that rival any jewelry- they wear their bling in spider style!
COMMENT 323247	2012-09-23 07:51 AM
If you really want to know? check out one of the world renowned authority at UC. Riversides website. Oh and they bust the myth regaurcing your brown recluuse!
COMMENT 323254	2012-09-23 08:10 AM
If you really want to know? check out one of the world renowned authority at UC. Riversides website. Oh and to 812p they bust the myth regaurcing your brown recluuse, unless u live in the Midwest?
COMMENT 323332	2012-09-23 12:58 PM
Spiders /UC Riverside website presents evidence for the lack of brown recluse spiders as part of the Californian spider fauna. Unfortunately, this contradicts what most Californians believe; beliefs that are born out of media-driven hyperbole and erroneous, anxiety-filled public hearsay which is further compounded by medical misdiagnoses

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