Help me ID this Spider.

[juank]

Hi,

I don't know if this is the correct place to ask this but I found this inside my truck.

Can any one help me ID this. I don't know if it is a Tarantula or a Spider. I haven't seen it before. She is eating crickets every day and always stays on top of the cage.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m172/jckiller/DSCF1121.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m172/jckiller/DSCF1122.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m172/jckiller/DSCF1110.jpg

I'm from Puerto Rico and I try to compare it with all native species and nothing shows up.

Thanks in advance for your help!!

[crpy]

Its a jumping spider, a true spider not harmful, nice female, most likely loaded with eggs:D

[juank]

Its a jumping spider, a true spider not harmful, nice female, most likely loaded with eggs:D

Do you really think she might be full of eggs? !!

That will be a nice surprise!!

Where can I get more info about their care?

Thanks!!

[jsloan]

Wow, beautiful spider! :clap:

It might be a Phidippus sp. I'm basing that partly on the size of this one. Another thing you can check: if you look at the spider head on and can see some longish tufts of hair sticking up on the top sides of the head, that is also a Phidippus trait (Your pictures are a little out of focus when I enlarge them, so I can't see if your spider has those hairs or not).

Here is a picture of Phidippus borealis in which you can see the tufts of hair:

http://www.thelensflare.com/large/spider_1666.jpg

The guy to ask for a more certain ID is G.B. Edwards, an expert on jumping spiders. Here is his contact information:

http://www.fsca-dpi.org/entomologists/edwards.htm

[crpy]

Do you really think she might be full of eggs? !!

That will be a nice surprise!!

Where can I get more info about their care?

Thanks!!

yep eggs possibly , shes a fatty and Jsloan is right GB is a great source

[juank]

OK!! Now I don't know what to do!!

She laid a HUGE sack of eggs.

How I prevent them to escape when they hatch?

Any tips on the hatchlings care?

How long will it take to the eggs to hatch?

Thanks!!

[Widowman10]

1st step: relax! and enjoy ;)

to have them not escape, make sure there are no big holes anywhere to where the slings can get out. and the slings are kinda small. if i were you, i might put the females enclosure in a big jar, that way you'll be sure no little ones get out. you can do this, or if you choose, just remove the egg pouch/sac out of the enclosure and put it in a small jar. method 2 is prob much easier.

babies can eat fruit flies or something similarly small.

sac should hatch soon. a matter of weeks, not months.

[Cigarman]

Besides, they keep the creepy bug population in check! Always a good sign to see these guys doing their job. Plus the have the most awesome behaviors when you observe them wandering around. :D

[juank]

Thank you all for the replys!!

The big problem I have here is that this spider is not from Puerto Rico. As I discussed with Dr. GB Edwards, they are no native spicies so I need to keep them all and try not to release them here. I'm going to keep them and try to rise them, then I'll try to figure out where to sell them and give some to friends that also are into spiders.

If any of you have some ideas that could share to help me keep them alive I'll apreciate it.

Thanks!!

[jsloan]

As I discussed with Dr. GB Edwards, they are no native spicies so I need to keep them all and try not to release them here.

What species did he say it is?

[juank]

Phidippus Regius

[Nerri1029]

Get a small Kritter Keeper with a slightly loose fitting cover.

cut some screen place between the cover and the bottom half..

GOOD LUCK !!