What is it?

[DHunter]

Found this spider taking refuge in my garage to escape the cold. Not the usual black widow I'm used to finding this time of year. It does have an orange hourglass on its belly, also an orange stripe running down its back.

Anyone have a clue what it is?
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/mrmagnum/orange002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/mrmagnum/orange003.jpg

[Glen Southern]

I'd say Latrodectus variolus but I'm no expert on them. Male of course and maybe juv. If I'm wrong it will soon be corrected by someone in-the-know.

[buthus]

Hesperus male ...but a very nice one. :cool:

[Arachnophilist]

nice find man!! you should see if someone wants him to breed

[KUJordan]

That is a nice hesperus male! I like the hesperus males and slings that have the dark sagittal line on their ceph. Cool find!

[buthus]

I got the perfect female mate. She is ripe for mating. Chocolate brown abdomen with a nice red dorsal line (rare for hesps). With his color and plump features, their slings would turn out to be little gems.

Send him my way for a 70/30 split (you get the big end). ;)

[Mechanical-Mind]

Send him my way for a 70/30 split (you get the big end). ;)

LOL! You know you're a Latrofiend when you've got so many different slings you don't even want a 50/50.


-Matt

[diadematus]

LOL! You know you're a Latrofiend when you've got so many different slings you don't even want a 50/50.

What is a "sling" (well, I assume offspring) but where does this come from?

-Kevin

[Mechanical-Mind]

Hello Kevin,

Sling = Spider-ling.

It's just a colloquial term for sub-adult spiders.

Best regards,
-Matt

[DHunter]

I got the perfect female mate. She is ripe for mating. Chocolate brown abdomen with a nice red dorsal line (rare for hesps). With his color and plump features, their slings would turn out to be little gems.

Send him my way for a 70/30 split (you get the big end). ;)

I'm not in the market for any slings. I find these around the yard from time to time, just never knew what they were. So thanks for the quick ID everyone.

I've never shipped a spider so have no idea how to pack it. Although I seem to recall a thread about it I could go read.
So I could possibly ship it to you if you wanted to pay for shipping & packaging. Just drop me a PM to work-out the details.

[buthus]

LOL! You know you're a Latrofiend when you've got so many different slings you don't even want a 50/50.


-Matt
:D
yeah ...I was in the middle of typing 50/5... er... jeeeeze, I need another 80 slings like I need another hole in my head. :? :rolleyes: I've been trying to feed one group a night ...takes me all week to get it done, then I start over. Plus I feed a small group from each brood every night which are my "alphas" (biggest , strangest markings or most colorful). To tell you the truth, with all the browns just hatching in the last week, I really have no idea how many widows I actually have. I'm guessing over 1000 slings with only around 400 seperated. I dont know if I'm going to deal with the browns until they are majorly thinned down. I'm not sure if there is any interest in them?

I'm not in the market for any slings. I find these around the yard from time to time, just never knew what they were. So thanks for the quick ID everyone.

I've never shipped a spider so have no idea how to pack it. Although I seem to recall a thread about it I could go read.
So I could possibly ship it to you if you wanted to pay for shipping & packaging. Just drop me a PM to work-out the details.
Sure ...what the heck, I'll bite. PM is on the way. See if the little guy can be put to good use.

[buthus]

Just wanted to come back to this and thank DHunter for taking the time and sending the lucky male to its dream date! Only a cool arachnofiend would consider something like this important and interesting enough take the time out of their day to make it happen. ;) What a bunch of goofballs we are! eh? :D

The special boy ended up being sent off to KUJordan to be matched up with that dreamy babe that Jordan posted recently.

Waiting on a progress report from Jordan! :? ;)

[DHunter]

Hope all is going well.http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/confused0031.gif (http://www.thesmilies.com)

[buthus]

Hope all is going well.http://www.thesmilies.com/smilies/confused0031.gif (http://www.thesmilies.com)

I have been informed that the male molted. Hopefully he retained much of his attributes. He was already large for a hesp male, so he must be huge now. ;)

[KUJordan]

This incredible looking male did in fact molt today! He is now mature and is still the most striking hesperus male I've seen. He retained all of the colors from before this molt. Shouldn't be too long for them now...

I'll keep you all updated.

[buthus]

This incredible looking male did in fact molt today! He is now mature and is still the most striking hesperus male I've seen. He retained all of the colors from before this molt. Shouldn't be too long for them now...

I'll keep you all updated.

Thats funny ...I seem to remember that you told me a few days ago that he molted? I must have too many spiders on my mind ...because there is no way I could have guessed that one. :D

[KUJordan]

that is weird, i thought maybe matt (mechanical mind) may have told you since he saw the male today as well. whelp, either way, it's cool stuff goin' down here in widowtown!

[Mechanical-Mind]

I don't believe in widows...

On that note, I got to check that male out today and it's every bit as bizarre looking as the initial post shows.

But yeah, I didn't tell Steven. Word around the campfire happens to be that the man IS infact psychic, though. From what I read, most Californians are...

-Matt

P.S. - I'm a schmoe.

[KUJordan]

here's a pic of that male hesperus just before he molted into maturity...

he didn't waste any time mating with the girl, so i didn't get a chance to get pics of him. i asure you though, he kept these incredible markings!

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b363/KUJordan/20061102_0547.jpg

[DHunter]

Glad to hear things are going well.:clap:

[Timmy]

Where are the hesperus males most commonly found? I want one for my pretty little widow.

[DHunter]

I find them around the window wells, in the flower bed, ext.
I also find them as with this one, around the front garage wing walls taking refuge from the cold in the Fall.