Bronze spider ID

Kayleigh · #1 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 12:20 PM

I found a small metallic looking (bronze colour) spider in my porch. I cant find any thing like it on the web or in the Gallery. It was about the size of my little finger nail. It rolled into a ball when I touched it with a piece of paper to remove it without injuring it. Have you any ideas to what it can be.

Venger · #2 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 01:22 PM

Need more of a description please.

Wandering without a web?
Big eyes? small eyes?
Fat or thin abdomen?
Any pattern?

Any info will help.

Kayleigh · #3 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 01:33 PM

I disturbed it while moving my walking boots. No web. I think it had a big abdomen. Cant remember the eyes.

If you give me names of any small metallic spiders I can do a search. sorry not more info my camera is useless at micro.

Venger · #4 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 02:00 PM

Depends how metallic it is?

Hmmm iridesent spiders....do you remember if it had long front legs? crab sort of shaped?

Or did it have a really small head, possibly quite dark?

Like I said, this is more of a guessing game, need all the info you can remember

Still could be fun.

Kayleigh · #5 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 03:52 PM

Yes! it had crab like short legs it looked a bit like a tic but was a spider.

I think it had a small head

Very metallic like an aged bronze statue.

Kayleigh · #6 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 05:01 PM

The only thing I can find with resemblance is this

Tube Web Spider - Segestria florentina - UK Safari

but I don't think it would have been a tunnel web. The colour is pretty close though.
Do spiders come in different colours like frogs do?

Venger · #7 (**permalink**) 22-07-2007, 05:11 PM

Not in the same way as frogs.
Some spiders can vary quite a bit - patterning can vary and so can the colour, but that doesn't apply to all spiders.
Have a check of these - it sounds more like a Gnaphosidae, a ground spider, rather than a Segestria
Ground spiders
Though that site doesn't have all of them listed, but its a good starting place.

jdumps · #8 (**permalink**) 14-08-2009, 10:55 PM

did you ever figure out what kind it was? i have something that sounds identical coming into my window thru a vine. i have several bites one is badly infected. im really trying to figure out this spider. it was really tiny, metallicy looking like it changed from purple to green to metallic when it moved in the light. very small like half the size of a penny, it had fangs and like crab legs.

any guesses?

Venger · #9 (**permalink**) 14-08-2009, 11:07 PM

Jdumps - yours sounds like a running crab spider a Philodromus sp (though I severely doubt that it bit you - sorry, but these guys are fairly timid)

There are many other things that will bite you far more readily than spiders and unless you saw the spider doing it, then its doubtful (spiders bite people in self defence, not to feed - sorry but that's my opinion, don't take offence)