I let my house spider go

[Tegenaria]

Having discovered that one a male matures they only live for a few months i decided to let him live the rest of his days in freedom, and maybe find a mate.

It was fun studying and feeding him, and watching him molt, but he's a big boy now!

Now what can I get to replace him.....

[Mary]

A female one!!!!!!

[Glen Southern]

He won't be doing too much mating now mate. With temperatures dropping most UK spiders head down into the leaf litter or into the warmer corners of our houses and sheds. Even the gravid female won't be producing much now.

So what are you going to keep next then mate?

[Mary]

Hey Glen, he should have a few of my false widow slings eh??

[Tegenaria]

He won't be doing too much mating now mate. With temperatures dropping most UK spiders head down into the leaf litter or into the warmer corners of our houses and sheds. Even the gravid female won't be producing much now.

So what are you going to keep next then mate?

Well I'd like another T,was originally hoping to get a giant white knee but it fell through. Im not sure what species to get next, something fairly docile but a bit quicker growing than my G rosea.I like the greenbottle blue and a few others but not sure of their temperaments.

[J005h]

i have a green blue bottle very nice spiders and they like it dry so no misting needed just a water bowl

[Tegenaria]

i have a green blue bottle very nice spiders and they like it dry so no misting needed just a water bowl

does he have a sister? ;)

[Glen Southern]

Mary: Right on.

I got a CONFIRMED ID now. These two I have here are definatly Steatoda grossa not S. paykulliana. I'll share some shot when my domain is up and cooking properly later tonight.

[Glen Southern]

Ok....

Heres some shots....

The Egg sac taken from my Trinocular scope
http://www.southerngfx.co.uk/arachnid/true_spiders_world/S.paykulliana/S.paykulliana001.jpg

The Sac from my Cannon with Sigma Macro
http://www.southerngfx.co.uk/arachnid/true_spiders_world/S.paykulliana/S.paykulliana003.jpg

The Male..
http://www.southerngfx.co.uk/arachnid/true_spiders_world/S.paykulliana/S.paykulliana004.jpg

The Female...
http://www.southerngfx.co.uk/arachnid/true_spiders_world/S.paykulliana/S.paykulliana005.jpg


When I posted these at AB I got some replies saying they were not S. paykulliana

I researched. And I agree now. The two adults I have do not seem to be S. paykulliana as you can see below, the male is a S. grossa male for sure and I assume the female also.

http://delta-intkey.com/britsp/images/theri08.jpg
http://canadianarachnology.dyndns.org/data/canada_spiders/images/habitus/Steatoda_grossa.jpg
http://website.lineone.net/~ian.pembroke/Steatoa_grossa.jpg

So, I needed to confirm this and managed to track down a paykulliana bloodline from the guy that gave me the new ID in Germany and I have some on the way. PLus a few Steatoda triangulosa for good measure. my S. bipuncta were a little lonely.

Teg: I can sort you out with a few of these if needed when I have a good sized colony. I have a sac from Mary and 2 sacs from an American bloodline all S. grossa. Nothing dangerous of course with that litt'n of yours around.

[Tegenaria]

Very cool Glen, i have a Steatoda in the shed very like the female paykulliana in the last pic. They do look like tiny widows, and the one in the shed is an adul male, yet tiny!

[Mary]

Larry, they are very weedy compered to the female, I now have hundreds of those to go with the hundreds of T's:cry: :cry:

Some of ours have that marking, some don't ????? You will see on Sunday Glen

[Tarantula]

They do look like tiny widows, and the one in the shed is an adul male, yet tiny!

They are called "False Widows".. guess why? :P

[Mary]

Supposed to have a bad bite too I think, but the fangs are tiny.

[Glen Southern]

I've ordered some S. paykulliana from Germany. And some S. triangulosa so I can have some for future reference. There are plenty of the Steatoda sp. for me to collect yet. If you have access to or contacts for the NO's below, you know where I can be found :)

:yes: S. bipunctata
:no: S. borealis
:no: S. capensis
:yes: S. grossa
:no: S. iheringi
:no: S. hespera (although I have several unidentifies US species of Steatoda on the way)
:yes: S. nobilis
:yes: S. paykulliana
:yes: S. triangulosa

S.paykulliana different color morphs are top of my list but seem very hard to track down right now.

[Tegenaria]

They are called "False Widows".. guess why? :P

Because 1 they look like a Latrodectus and 2 they are in the same family, Lyniphidae