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Photo#230551
Spider - Florida Keys - Ammotrechella stimpsoni

Spider - Florida Keys - Ammotrechella stimpsoni
Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA
October 2, 2008
Size: 5/8" in photo
This specimen was found at the base of the mattress on our platform bed as I was removing the sheets. It was already dead and poised in this position. I had seen a spider like this on 2 other occasions, in the bedroom and on the master bath ceiling (which is made up of rough-hewn wood called Pecky Cypress, with holes in it. Great hiding places.) The spider is fast. I managed to catch the one in the bedroom in a glass and put it outside. The weird thing about the 2 live ones I saw is that I only saw 1 foreleg on each, which it seemed to hold out in front of it like a baton. Perhaps the 2nd leg is held back, or something, but I kept wondering why both spiders were missing one foreleg. It wasn't until I found this dead one that I actually saw 2 forelegs.

A solpugid not a spider
Ammotrechella stimpsoni (Putnam), the only species in Florida. Does not bite. They are very fragile and the legs fall off if you look at them wrong.

 
Thanks -
for the info and ID! Only our second image of this species, it seems...

Not a spider -
with that segmented abdomen, I think this is something like a wind scorpion or another type of arachnid - one of our other BG folks will be able to help you more...

Not a spider.
It's a Solfugid. Here.

 
Quick responses! Thank you everyone!
I am not a bug specialist by any means, but I was also trying to figure this one out by searching under 2-eyed spider because it seems to have just 2 eyes. I was trying to photograph the face by holding a small magnifying glass up to it and then photographing through the lens but the flash kept obscuring things. Guess none of you needed that extra help anyway. Thanks for the links & info. Guess I won't mind having them running around near my bedsheets if I find them there again!

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