Identifying Spiders

Spiders are not insects contrary to the popular beliefs but insects and spiders both belong to a broader class called Arthropods, which are animals, that have hard external skeletons and limbs that are joined. There are very few people who show any particular interest in these very common creatures that can often be seen in and around our homes. If you are a person who takes keen interest in spiders then I am sure you must be very eager to know the ways to identify spiders since we see so many spiders and they are not always the same ones. So here we would discuss the ways to identify spiders.

Types of Spiders

It is said that there are approximately more than 30,000 species of spiders but most of the time spiders are confused with "Daddy Long legs" or "Harvest men" which look like spiders but have a different body structure. Spiders may be classified on the basis of their hunting techniques since some of the spiders do not spin webs to get food but actively hunt for food.

What are the Ways of Identifying Spiders?

The first thing that one should observe is the appearance of the spider so that identification becomes easy. The observation of the appearance would certainly make it clear if the spider is a mature or immature, that if it is an adult or not. One cannot determine the gender of the young spiders or instars hence it is difficult to classify them.

If it is an adult spider then there should be differences in the appearance of male and female spiders, which is commonly known as s "sexual dimorphism", and this works for human beings as well. Adult male spiders have their "Palps" or the leg like structures in the front, modified for mating but the "Palps" of female spiders remain like short legs. So these are some basic ways of classifying a spider but when we cone to the details of family classification, which is where the confusion arises. Here we would discuss about some common types of Spiders that one might possibly come across.

Banana Spider - The scientific name of Banana Spider is Nephilidae nephila and confusions pertaining to the identification of this spider should be avoided. It is a very colorful spider, which has shades of orange, black, white and brown. It is not an active hunter and weaves the web for itself. It also has white patterns on its abdomen and can be termed as a large spider- this acts as the major feature, which helped in the identification of these spiders. The body structure also has to be taken onto consideration when trying to identify this spider. The fangs of this spider do not have much hair on it except for the spines that are there.

Red Black Spiders - This kind of spiders can be found in Australia and their size varies. They are not necessarily red in color neither do they have a red spot. These spiders live in cool places and move about from one place of habitat to the other. These spiders are black with either a hint of orange or red longitudinal strip. These spiders do not spin a web, especially male Red Black spiders; whenever they want they cling to the webs made by the female red black spiders

Black Widow Spider - The Black Widow Spider is black and has red marks. The mature male Black Widow might have a mix of black and brown and instead of red the colors can be orange and also yellow. The male spiders of this species are smaller than the female; almost half the size but the male spiders have long legs. The clue of identification is the glossy and smooth texture of the female Black widow spider, which makes it stand out among the other spiders of spiders.

Apart from the above mentioned the location and number of eye and the form of their spinnerets could be considered as markers of a spider’s identity.