Please Help with Spider Identification

[Chavy]

Hello,

I'm a new subscriber on WAB, so hello to you all.

I'm interested in wildlife but I know very little about it. I'm sure I'm about to prove that ignorance within this forum thread, but I have found a spider (or what appears to be a male and a female of the same species on consecutive days) in my house. I took pictures of them, but I've never seen them before either in or out of the house. I live in Runcorn in the North West.




Both spiders were about 5mm or so in body length (discounting any appendages), the larger body (I presume is the female?) had a girth of about 4mm across the abdomen.

Would be interested to find out what it is / they are.

Hope I managed to upload the pictures ok!

Many thanks,
Chavy.

[demicav]

Looks like Steatoda bipunctata, male and female, female bottom pic. Welcome to WAB.

[Venger]

Yup, Steatoda bipunctata m & f.
These are really good id pictures, wish all spider id pics were this good.

[Chavy]

Thank you both very much for your rapid response and welcome.

Although I am somewhat nervous of spiders and have been since childhood (not so much a phobia), I am quite fascinated by them. I spend hours going around the garden on warm summer days trying to get a sharp close-up of various jumping spiders, mostly the zebra variety. Problem is they have such good eyesight that you can't get very close before they run off.

These two were a captive audience though as I had them in a glass! Much easier to photograph for identification, but not a very natural looking picture unfortunately.

Thanks for the kind words about the photos, although most of the work is done by an expensive SLR camera, macro lens and flashgun, so I can't take all the credit!

Thanks again,
Chavy.

[thes3raph1m]

if only i had your equipment... lol, dont be too modest though, it still take a steady hand to take good photos... and dont forget, you press the button... you aim the camera, you choose the subject...