2 more interesting (scary) spiders from our new house!

[Jacey&Tim]

Hi again guys,

We've found a couple more specimens for ID! Can anyone help me with these 2? I only managed to get one decent photo of number 1, sorry...

He was in a corner in the bathroom - body length was about 8-10mm, and his/her abdomen was very rounded - the pattern reminds me of a bird's egg or something!

Number 2:

Sorry again about photo quality - can't quite afford a new camera at the moment! This one had a body about an inch long, and frightened the bejesus out of Tim when it ran up the kitchen door last night! He was dark brown, and had a furry looking slightly pointed abdomen. He was also incredibly quick, and seemed a bit argumentative if I'm honest! Lol.

Just to recap, we're in rural Kent (a little village not too far from Ashford) and in a house that seems to have a heck of a lot of 8 legged inhabitants! I'm managing to cope with them a bit better now though... when Tim showed me the big guy last night, I was more interested in getting his photo than jumping on a chair and squealing!

Any help would be much appreciated - my Collins guide hasn't arrived yet!

Thank you

Jacey

[Venger]

No1: A female Amuarobius spp
N0.2: A male Clubiona spp
I'll have more answers when I get to my books.

Oh top down shots are best, along with a side shot.

If you have a really good camera then a head shot is good - and if you have a really good camera - shots of the epigyne (if female) or palps (if male).

[Jacey&Tim]

Thank you! Nothing horribly dangerous then! Lol

I shall bear that in mind about the photo's, thanks - no more funny angles from me

Jacey

[Geoff F]

I'm afraid, Jacey, that it is a touch difficult to ask a spider to turn around and smile for the camera.

More often than not, a quick snap as it runs away is the best that anybody can manage. That is why size and habitat is so helpful in narrowing down a number of possibilities.

[Venger]

Easier if you get them in a bowl or glass, as you seem to have done with these two
You might make your own spi-pot, that might be fun for you :P

[Jacey&Tim]

I have a large glass vase that seems to do the job pretty well
What's a spi pot then?!

[Venger]

One of these:
Spinnen van Belgi - Araignes de Belgique - Spiders of Belgium

[naturegirl]

Hi Jacey and Tim!

Welcome to WAB!!

I too, live in a village near (but not too near, thank God!) to Ashford!!

You'd be amazed at just how many spiders live in our houses, especially if you are rural.....

Naturegirl

[dmclean2]

Hi Jacey and Tim, and welcome from me too
With a spy pot you can get some good close up shots of your spider without harming it, and you can get an anterior shot of the sternum and epigyne, with Tegenaria it could give a clue to the species, though not always accurate ( had to put that bit in, Venger would slap me else )
Keep posting and good luck with the spider quest,
Duncan
ps; If you cut a peice of graph paper to the size of your spy pot and glue it to the polystyrene you will have a good way of measureing the size of the spider, I use prit stick

[Jacey&Tim]

Thank you guys

A spi-pot does indeed look like an ingenious contraption - I'll have to see if I can throw one together when I get a spare 10 minutes. I'll be sure to post some photos when I get round to it!

And speaking of Tegenaria, we had a bit of an invasion last night (or more accurately, at 3.30 this morning) which saw Tim and I jumping about in our pyjamas attempting to catch 3 remarkably large ones that suddenly decided to make an appearance all at once - I'm honestly thinking of opening this house up to the public, I'm sure people would be willing to pay to see such a wealth of arachnid life under one roof!

Jacey