Possible false widow?

[Telamere]

Hi,

I live in Brighton and found a huge spider in the bathroom last night. A inch or so leg span in a relaxed state. I love macro photography and like spiders so immediately took some photos. Which I can't post on here to get a confirmation. Anyone have an idea where I can send them to get a confirmation? I was only just told about the false widow population in Brighton and the pics I've found aren't as close as mine so I can't tell.

I wouldn't kill it regardless but if a spider phobic freaks out I pick them up in my hands and remove them. I want to know if I need to stop doing that.

Any advice? Cheers,

Telamere.

[John_M]

Why can't you post them on here? If you add them to your library images you can post them from there.
Failing that, a description and / or drawing of the spider would help.
Try googling Steatoda nobilis, S. grossa or S. bipunctata, and see if they look the same.
No real reason to worry about them, but they can bite if alarmed, so the glass and card trick is probably better, but I've had them crawling on my hands with no problems.

[Telamere]

Ah I just saw the thing that said images can't be added, I hadn't worked out to use the library. However I thought if I added them to flickr I could post a link:-

Curious about species. False black widow? | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I'm starting to think it might be a baby tegenaria. There are full body shots without the flash on the photostream as well.

[Telamere]

Oh yes it was about 10pm and my bathroom has no windows, so it was pitch black till I switched the light on, so apparently nocturnal.

[Cutty Dyer]

False widows are relatively common here in Devon. The spider in your picture certainly looks very similar, although the False Widows I've evicted from my home are darker in colour and have a more pronounced marking on their abdomens.

[John_M]

It doesn't look like a false widow (Steatoda) species. It could be a Tegenaria, but I can't see much detail other than it's a male, so I'm nut sure.

[No.9 Spider]

It looks like a male Amaurobius similis .



No.9 Spider

[John_M]

You're right, it looks like Amaurobius.

[Telamere]

Cheers. . This has been very interesting. If it happens again I'll remember to put a finger next to it for the photo so I can get an accurate sizing. It did appear to be 12-15mm in body length but maybe my bathroom just provides good eating. lol.