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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynes » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Steatoda » False Black Widow (Steatoda grossa)
Photo#102120
Spider was in my bed, not familiar with - Steatoda grossa
Copyright © 2007 Aaron McNeil

Spider was in my bed, not familiar with - Steatoda grossa
Palm Springs area/Coachella Valley, Riverside County, California, USA
April 2, 2007
Size: half inch or so
Was in my bed! Hope someone could tell me what this is. Crawled up on the wall when I got up to turn off my reading lamp. Had a bum leg, maybe I squished it moving around.

There are obviously a lot of spiders out here in the desert, but not everyday do you see one in the sack with you. Really widows are the only ones I can identify easily. Any help would be most appreciated!
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Contributed by Aaron McNeil on 7 April, 2007 - 9:04pm
Last updated 8 April, 2007 - 10:02am

Don't
worry. An adult male S. grossa. Harmless, and sometimes refered to as the false black widow.
… Jeff Hollenbeck, 8 April, 2007 - 10:03am login or register to post comments

 
makes sense
You know I wondered, but seemed a little redder then normal. The torso seemed a bit different then other males I've seen. I guess a blister isnt too bad in comparison. Thank you for your help!
… Aaron McNeil, 8 April, 2007 - 10:09am login or register to post comments

You do know the spider to look for.
Welcome to Bug Guide. I'm no expert on spiders, but did want to mention that "click pic" doesn't work on this site, at least for contributors. (However, you can see your own stuff upsized, and editors can also see it large.) Yours is a nice, crisp shot at any rate, and decent cropping will aid in ID.
… Ron Hemberger, 8 April, 2007 - 12:41am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks for the welcome and info
I went ahead and resized it and cropped it to get a clearer shot. Fascinating site I might add, very thorough. I am having trouble finding this bugger though. Not sure what you mean by "you do know the spider to look for", Widow family?
… Aaron McNeil, 8 April, 2007 - 12:54am login or register to post comments

 
Yep, I did mean widows.
Sorry for being vague. Whoa, huge spider. Good! I don't think you have to worry about this one, but I bunk with several so I'm not too typical.
… Ron Hemberger, 8 April, 2007 - 1:08am login or register to post comments

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