Knowledgebase

Help identifying a spider #868324

Asked May 14, 2024, 12:35 AM EDT

Found in Grants Pass, Or. - can you help me identify this spider?

Josephine County Oregon

Expert Response

Hi, Debbie,
That's a cool find.
Relatively few types of spiders are able to hold their legs out to the side like that. Among those, spiders in the family Philodromidae have the second pair of legs longer than the first pair and the 3rd and 4th pair of legs about as long as each other. So you have a spider in the family Philodromidae, possibly in the genus Philodromus (although I can't see enough detail in your photo to determine the genus with certainty).

Spiders in the family Philodromidae are known as running crab spiders. They actively hunt the insects they feed on rather than waiting in a web for insects to come to them.

Running crab spiders are unlikely to bite people and are not considered dangerous.
Hope that helps!
Bill Gerth Replied May 14, 2024, 8:37 PM EDT

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