Triangulate Cobweb Spider

Here's someone you don't need to leave the house to meet, a Triangulate Cobweb Spider (aka Checkered Cobweb Spider aka Triangulate Combfoot aka Triangulate Household Spider). I'm not sure why they have so many names; as best as I could tell they won't answer to any of them. 😄

These spiders were presumably accidentally introduced when Europeans started coming to North America, and are likely to be found in our buildings. As some of their names imply, they don't build the iconic orb spider web, opting for a less structured cobweb instead. The "checkered" and "triangulate" parts of their names comes from what looks a bit like triangles on their abdomens.

They're not considered aggressive, and when they do bite bad reactions are very rare, so as predatory arthropods go they're pretty far over on the harmless side of the spectrum. The worst effect of having them around are the cobwebs. The best effects of having them around is they'll get rid of some stinkbugs and Brown Recluse Spiders (one of the most dangerous spiders in North America) for you.

March 2, 2022 in Bridgewater
Photo 186580844, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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