Common Spiders Found in Georgia (Part II)

Two of the most common spiders found in Georgia have already been discussed in length in the first part of this article series. These two spiders are the crab spiders and the cellar spiders. In this article, we will discuss two other spiders, namely: (1) Crevice Spiders and (2) Fishing Spiders. Just like what we have done in the first part of this article series, we will discuss about the etymology, physical description, habitat, behaviour and venom of these spiders.

1. Crevice Spiders

a. Etymology

Crevice spiders got their name from their tendency to weave their webs in crevices or in corners. The more common name of Crevice spiders is Southern House spider and they belong to the family called Flistatidae which comes from the words Fili and stat. Fili means thread in Latin while strat means stabilizing. In short, these spiders belong to the family that stabilizes through spider webs.

b. Physical Description

Like some other spider species, female Crevice spiders are relatively larger than their male counterparts. Female Crevice spiders measure about 13 to 19 millimetres across their bodies while male crevice spider can be as small as 9 to 10 millimetres. Male and female crevice spiders also differ in color; female crevice siders are usually grey or black while males are amber colored. Female crevice spiders have long abdomens. The reproductive organ of the male crevice spider is normally long and slender just like their legs. They also have a brown stripe pattern close to their eyes that extends towards their abdomen resulting to a violin-shaped pattern. Since most people incorporate the violin-like pattern in the abdomen to the brown recluse spider, many male crevice spiders are mistaken as such.

c. Habitat

Crevice spiders already reveal their habitat through their names. They like staying in doorways and in the corners of buildings. They also like staying in window sills, in overhands and in shutters; for as long as the place resembles that a crevice, Crevice spiders would love being in there. These spiders usually stay on the ground because they feed on insects that crawl on the ground. They build flat and tangled webs on the ground to serve this purpose. Nevertheless, many female Crevice spiders are fond of making webs beneath tree barks while many others build their webs on and in many man-made structures like bridges, houses and barns. Crevice spiders produce a unique kind of silk. Under a microscope, their silk would appear curly or woolly. This is because they tangle their webs using their combed feet. They tangle their webs on purpose. Since their webs are weaved on the ground, crevice spiders tangle their webs to increase its effectiveness in catching prey.

d. Behaviour

Crevice spiders prefer to remain on the underside of the webs that they have weaved. Only the female spiders weave their webs. Male crevice spiders simply wander around in search for a female mate. A mated pair usually, a female and male crevice spider often sticks together and still together, they would flee for safety once they sense threat. After mating, female crevice spiders can lay up to 200 eggs all at the same time. She keeps her eggs in a ball made from her silk, this ball measures about 15 millimetres in diameter. Moreover, these spiders are not really particular with cleanliness and neatness. Their nests are usually left un-kept that debris of dead and eaten insects can remain in the web for years.

e. Venom

These spiders do have venom but because they are so tiny, they excrete very little amount of venom. This amount of venom is not enough to harm humans in any way. However, in very rare cases, their bites can cause a little swelling and redness which usually just disappears after a few days.

2. Fishing Spiders

a. Etymology

These spiders prefer to live in swamps and other moist places; this is probably the reason why they are called Fishing spiders. They belong to the spider groups called Thalssius which is divided into two sub-groups called Pisaurinae and Thalassinae. The first group consists of smaller web spiders while the other one consist of the larger Fishing spiders.

b. Physical Description

These spiders are usually associated to water although they are actually terrestrial. Their sizes range from 8 to 30 millimetres. Fishing spiders do not have a definite color but all of them have colors that are closely related to brown. However, all Fishing spiders have lateral stripes which are cream colored. These stripes extend towards their abdomens; the markings also resemble that of a leaf. Fishing spiders hunt for their food and they depend on their excellent eye-sight to catch their prey. In general, male fishing spiders are short-lived (usually just 12-14 months) while female Fishing spiders can live up to 2 years.

c. Habitat

Their name already explains why these spiders are always associated with water. Thus, they live in places where there is water such as swamps and lakes. They also prefer streams and ponds where water is flowing. They are somewhat over protective of their offspring. They lay their eggs in a spider sac and encase the sac with a nursery web. The nursery web is attached to vegetation and spiderlings usually leave the nursery web after a single or two molts.

d. Behaviour

Fishing spiders are amongst the few creatures in the world that can manipulate surface tension and stay afloat on water surfaces. Moreover, these spiders also have lungs that closely resemble that of an amphibian, allowing them to breathe underwater for about 30 minutes. These spiders are natural hunting spiders and they usually feed on flies and other flying insects. Sometimes, they also feed on tadpoles and small fishes.

e. Venom

Just like most spiders, the venom of the Fishing spider is also not harmful to humans. Nevertheless, their fangs are long and sharp enough to pierce through the human skin and inject venom into the body. Of course, the venom is not deadly to humans but it can cause skin infections and other irritations.