I looked online but can't id it.

I live in N. Florida and it was in my family room. I've never seen one before.....Just curious. Oh... it was less than 1/2" long.

Thanks,
Todd

Edited by funnymoney on 06/05/2011 19:04:09 MDT.

Spiders have 8 legs. Insects have 6. That thing has 6 legs. ;)

Compare it to the ant mimic spider:

http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/spiders/Castianeira.htm

Thanks Dale,

Definitely could be! Aside from some variation in the shape of the red spot it's identical. Probably the same spider.

I appreciate it.

Todd

While I'm not sure which species it is, it's definitely in the wolf spider family. Ant mimic spiders are a species of jumping spider, which is a different family. Wolf spiders typically splay their legs out more and the knees are not quite so arched. Also they tend to sit still a lot more than jumping spiders; jumping spiders are constantly, nervous and moving about. The ant mimic is so fidgety that its front legs (which have evolved to look just like ant antennae, to the point of even having the crook in them) and wave up and down as if sensing the air around them, like ants. Also, if you observe this spider over time and you catch one with an egg sac underneath its abdomen, then you can be sure it's a wolf spider. Jumping spiders lay their eggs in silken sacs under leaves or in crevices in bark or rocks. Neither makes a web to ensnare prey. Wolf spiders hunt by waiting in ambush, whereas jumping spiders use amazing acrobatics to pounce on their prey from afar. Wolf spiders don't leave a safety silk line when walking. Jumping spiders leave a thread wherever they go just in case they fall and miss.

Sorry, animals are a passion for me...

Edit: Looking at the photo in the above link again, it may very well be the ant mimic spider. Must be a species of wolf spider in Florida. There is an ant mimic jumping spider, too, so they must have the same common name.

Edited by butuki on 06/07/2011 18:03:04 MDT.