Another weird English beastie.

[Chillum]

The AB entemologists and arachnologists have never let me down yet, so here's another one to try and identify. This a spider, seen tonight. About 2.5cm long, (excluding legs). The abdomen and thorax(?) were about 50/50 size-wise. The abdomen had a strip down its back, patterned very much like a dull wasp. (Black & yellow, weaved, markings). This didn't go all the way 'round, but faded to the edges. The bit in front (thorax, again, not sure that's the right term) was browny, mottled, well camouflaged against the soil, so hard to describe. The legs were about an inch-and-a-half long, very woody in appearance. I did take a photo on my phone, but it's worthless - a blurry spider shape. If no-one can offer any suggestions from  my description, are there any on-line "species-identifier" type sites that I can go to and search?

[Cetti]

Hi Chillum, just off to bed when I spied your post - just couldn't resist it!

Just a quick read and look through books says it may be a House Spider. Lives in open countryside, particularly in the south as well as buildings.

The body is yellowish to reddy brown, heavily mottled with black and a number of clear pale chevrons towards the rear. Yellowy stripe down the back.

[Cetti]

Not a great picture but have a look athe top one:

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11f(1).htm

[Chillum]

That's soooooo bloody impressive Cetti. Spot on again.

[Chillum]

House Spider sounds so unimpressive for the beast though. I was expecting something like "weirdo-imported-neck-breaking-spider", and to be told told to report to the nearest incubation unit. I guess I'm still a bit nervous when faced with these creatures from the semi-tropical South.

[Robinia]

She's good isn't she that Cetti!!?  But Chillum there's never just one lonely spider !!!  

[smudge]

Oh Robinia, you little rasca! That picture made we want to run out of the room!

[smudge]

Uurrgg - so did your's Cetti - I'm off!

[Cetti]

How did you do that Robby?

When I attempted to post a picture from the Tiny site I ended up with the most graphic porn - don't ask.....

[Robinia]

It wasn't anything clever done by me I'm sad to say - I just searched the web (hehe) for house spiders & that was one of the results.It made me laugh so I thought I'd share it, sorry smudge but you couldn't resist looking could you?!

I'm expecting to see lots of these soon too.  (go on smudge, you know want to peek!)

[smudge]

Uurrgg - couldn't resist another nose Robinia!

I saw loads of them yesterday - I was at my daughter's house, helping her clear the shed out! We were both on tenterhooks - broom handles at the ready! (We wouldn't hurt them tho').

[gen2]

Glad you identified it Chillum.  You also asked for identification sites for spiders, well here is a good place to start - Nick's Spiders

[Tim Baxter]

Not helping much but what you guys are missing is the sight of baby spiders hatching and running up and down their nest web,  They're so cute.  Little golden things, literally, the size of a pin head, scuttling around.  What's better is the thought that they'll soon be eating lost and lost of flies.

[brachiopod]

Here's my t. gigantea snapped recently in my bathroom.

I could go on about the aperture, shutter speed, macro-lens settings etc., but the most important factor in getting this shot was several pints of Scrumpy Jack in the pub earlier !! (Yes, I'm a bit of an arachnophobe)

I also made a mini-video of it walking across the wall (from below !!) which features the fastest 'pan out' in filming history when it fell off.....