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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynes » Orb Weavers (Araneidae) » Micrathena » Arrowshaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata)
Photo#73736
Is it dangerous? - Micrathena sagittata
Copyright © 2006 dantil

Is it dangerous? - Micrathena sagittata
Merrimack, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, USA
August 20, 2006
Size: approx. 1/2"
Not sure if this is dangerous or not. A friend sent me the pics from his house. The spider had made the web on his sons basket ball hoop. After the heavy rain that day, he hasn't seen it since.

Images of this individual: tag all
Is it dangerous? - Micrathena sagittata Is it dangerous? - Micrathena sagittata
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Contributed by dantil on 29 August, 2006 - 7:28pm
Last updated 31 August, 2006 - 7:07am

Harmless
Like almost all other spiders, if you took this one from the web and pressed her against your skin, she might bite you. A Micrathena bite is not painful, and the aftermath is a little more irritating than a mosquito bite.

Unlike the insects they devour, no spider has ever been found to be a vector for any disease or virus. More safety information can be found on the spider guide page.
… Jay Barnes, 29 August, 2006 - 9:01pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks
Thans to all who supplied the info. It freaked my friend and I out becuase we had never seen anything like it and both have small childern

Danny
… dantil, 30 August, 2006 - 5:10pm login or register to post comments

 
Moved to guide
- first one from New Hampshire on this site. Thanks for the contribution. And if you want to know about the few species that might be cause for worry, check out Potentially Dangerous Arachnids and Insects on this site. But if you teach your children not to handle unknown creatures, that should cover it.
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 31 August, 2006 - 7:10am login or register to post comments

Micrathena sagittata - Arrow-shaped Micrathena
Probably not dangerous to humans. No caution mentioned in field guide. Lovely dorsal view.
… Bob Patterson, 29 August, 2006 - 7:33pm login or register to post comments

 
Right,
and I believe none of the very few spiders in the US that are potentially dangerous to humans are orb-weavers. So if you see a nice round classic spider-web, you're safe. Guide page here. Nice shot!
… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 29 August, 2006 - 8:07pm login or register to post comments

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