Spider Identification

[exoskeleton]

Sorry to disagree folks - being a new member and all, but the spider is in fact Drassodes Lapidosus and not Dysdera Crocata. Dysdera has a smooth glossy abdomen which resembles a baked bean ! It also has chelicerae even more fearsome than Drassodes and are the only ones, I believe, that work in the horizontal plane and not vertical. This is because Dysdera uses them to turn its prey over to get at the more vulnerable underside. I believe it is the only spider to eat woodlice. Have a look at the spider photos in the Invertebrates Gallery where there are some lovely photos of Dysdera.

I've never done this sort of thing before so sorry if I've messed up.

[Venger]

Hi Exoskeleton,
Welcome to WAB, always good to have another spider fan around.

Sorry to say it's not Drassodes lapidosus (or D.cupreus, as you can't tell them apart visually )
Things to look out for:
Drassodes sp generally have large tubular spinners, which extend quite a way out from the rear of the abdomen.
Drassodes sp (and all Gnaphosids) have eight eyes, on Drassodes sp the posterior row is procurved - if you look at the photo it only has six eyes.
It's also presenting a clear fovea mark, not something you see on Dysdera sp
It's also not presenting all the spines and hairs on the femurs either.

The most obvious one is to turn her over - Drassodes sp have epigynes, Dysdera sp dont

I think this has been properly identified as a Dysdera crocota (obviously not 100%, can't do that without a microscope)

Check out the photos below - Jorgen has some great shots:
Drassodes lapidosus male and female, and a Drassodes cupreus as well, so you can compare.

http://www.jorgenlissner.dk/images%5...s_han_2874.jpg
http://www.jorgenlissner.dk/images%5...L4832_7522.JPG
http://www.jorgenlissner.dk/images%5...s_hun_3264.jpg

[No.9 Spider]

Originally Posted by exoskeleton

Sorry to disagree folks - being a new member and all, but the spider is in fact Drassodes Lapidosus and not Dysdera Crocata. Dysdera has a smooth glossy abdomen which resembles a baked bean ! It also has chelicerae even more fearsome than Drassodes and are the only ones, I believe, that work in the horizontal plane and not vertical. This is because Dysdera uses them to turn its prey over to get at the more vulnerable underside. I believe it is the only spider to eat woodlice. Have a look at the spider photos in the Invertebrates Gallery where there are some lovely photos of Dysdera.

I've never done this sort of thing before so sorry if I've messed up.

Hi Exo, welcome to WAB. All but one of our native British species, Atypus affinis, have chelicerae that work in the horizontal plane ie. a bit like sugar tongs. Atypus affinis has the downward striking fangs akin to the more primitive spiders such as those commonly referred to as 'Tarantulas', which as it happened took the name of a spider from the other group that had horizontally opposed fangs, not downward striking!

..........and you can't 'mess up' on here, only learn I know I do!


No.9 Spider

[exoskeleton]

Hi everyone

Humble apologies for my previous post it was out of character (I hope). It was priggish, know-all and, possibly patronising ! How to win friends (not).

Many thanks to Venger and No 9 Spider for restoring me to earth so gently.

What I should have said was "could it possibly be Drassodes Lapidosus" and, now I consult my idiots guide to spiders, I see I confused Lapidosus with Pubescens anyway!

I guess I deserve a 0/10 see me - I'm back to spider school.

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by exoskeleton

Humble apologies for my previous post it was out of character (I hope). It was priggish, know-all and, possibly patronising ! How to win friends (not).

Don't worry exoskeleton, non of us are infallible and mistakes happen; thats life.

Anyway, welcome to WAB, I'm sure you're gonna like it.

[No.9 Spider]

Originally Posted by exoskeleton

Hi everyone

Humble apologies for my previous post it was out of character (I hope). It was priggish, know-all and, possibly patronising ! How to win friends (not).

Many thanks to Venger and No 9 Spider for restoring me to earth so gently.

What I should have said was "could it possibly be Drassodes Lapidosus" and, now I consult my idiots guide to spiders, I see I confused Lapidosus with Pubescens anyway!

I guess I deserve a 0/10 see me - I'm back to spider school.

Don't worry about it exo, the main thing is your are still here and posting .
This is probably one of the sites on which I've 'persisted' the longest. Certainly a good crowd, and no animosity as you sometimes encounter on other websites when people beg to differ.
Most species are pretty much i.d.'d competently by the many 'experts' in the various fields., so hang around, enjoy, contribute and learn.

Regards, No.9 Spider

[Venger]

As Tormentil and No.9 have said, it's not a problem - we all have our fields of expertise, or rather I should say 'experience'.
(I know if I'm unsure about something, someone else will have had more experience with what I'm having problems with and visa versa)
Don't be afraid to contribute and join in discussions.

[naturegirl]

Sorry to have caused a panic........

It's just that I know that the 'Woodlouse spider' has a somewhat powerful bite, enough to pierce a human finger nail. All I wanted was to prevent this guy's kids from harm, honestly.......

I would not like my little grand daughter to pick up one of these spiders!!!

I have always been a 'scaredy cat' when it comes to spiders and thought I had overcome this with the help of members such as my friend Venger.

In fact, I know that I have overcome this with the help of my friends on here, especially Venger who has helped by explaining the habits etc. of such spiders. I now know that they are not out to 'get me' !!!

Sorry if I gave a false impression on this subject guys.....

A very guilty......

Naturegirl