false black widow - BugGuide.Net

Thanks

for your attention to my false-false black widow. Yes Mandy, they are lovely (whether true or false...I've noticed since that time that the theridiids and the linyphiids are rather similar). I had another look at some S grossa images, and they do seem to lack the extra-large setae on mine. Whereas they are visible on L leprosus.

Is it better to be in Entelegynes or ID Request? Maybe I'll move it over in a while.

… Colin M, 18 October, 2009 - 11:20am

I'm not sure...

...where it would be better placed. Maybe John does?

… Mandy Howe, 18 October, 2009 - 9:23pm

My vote

is here or Spiders, most images get moved from ID Request to "spiders" and then sorted down for Lynette the Balabans and the spider experts to look at anyway.

… John R. Maxwell, 18 October, 2009 - 10:55pm

Moved

Moved from False Black Widow.

… John R. Maxwell, 18 October, 2009 - 12:41am

Thanks John

It was sort of 'buggin' me that it was in with the grossas. :)

… Mandy Howe, 18 October, 2009 - 12:57am

Images

can you ID some at genus level and get them to species?

… John R. Maxwell, 18 October, 2009 - 12:58am

I can try

Should I just comment on all the ones that I think could be moved to a species?

… Mandy Howe, 18 October, 2009 - 1:12am

Yes

and then if they don't get moved and you are pretty sure of the ID you can post a list of the IDed ones to the forums. In the end it gets to be judgement call, on how conclusive the ID is, how knowlegable the IDer, are there look alikes, range, variability. But more eyes looking at them is always better.
Here is an example http://bugguide.net/node/view/280537, but I would start with comments on the images suggesting IDs and your reasoning if it isn't obvious why.

… John R. Maxwell, 18 October, 2009 - 8:45am

Okay

Thanks John!

… Mandy Howe, 18 October, 2009 - 9:20pm

Not Steatoda

I was browsing through the Steatoda grossa photos and I came across this spider of yours. I am pretty familiar with the grossa species because I keep some as pets and also rear some. At first glance yours does look similar to an immature famale grossa...but a closer look reveals macrosetae on the legs, which Steatodas don't have (they do have setae though). Also, in my experience, the abdomen of a 4mm grossa is more round...rather than sort of elongated like this one is. I would suggest that yours is instead a Linyphiid. Possibly Lepthyphantes leprosus. There is a good example of this species here and it has even been ID'd by Rod Crawford. Maybe you could move this submission back to 'ID Request' so that some fresh pairs of eyes can give it a go.

… Mandy Howe, 17 October, 2009 - 11:19pm