Mystery Critter, can you identify?

jhouse · August 21, 2019

This was under a leaf of one of my jalapeno pepper plants -- I thought it was an odd spider, now I'm not sure. Moves like one, but ?? The pic looks like it might have 6 legs, not 8. Crab shaped, shiny black with a single yellow dot.

Any ideas? It's tiny. Location is southwest Ohio.

Here's URL if those don't work:

http://www.tomatoville.com/picture.p...pictureid=3299
http://www.tomatoville.com/picture.p...pictureid=3302

clkeiper · August 21, 2019

no idea, but check with your local county extension office. they should have an entomologist on staff to ask or find out from someone else.

jhouse · August 21, 2019

I sent an email to my agent, will be interested to see if they know. I couldn't find anything like it online!

Plus it looks like it might be making babies. . . just didn't know if it's a good bug or bad bug!

GrowingCoastal · August 21, 2019

Try googling citrus spider or crab spider images. Some similar ones there. I had crab spiders when I lived in a house on peat but not since. Harmless insect eaters as far as I know.

jhouse · August 21, 2019

Thanks, I checked it out and it doesn't look that close. It's odd, can't find anything quite like it.

Worth1 · August 21, 2019

It's a wee spider.

jhouse · August 22, 2019

Thanks, I finally found my wee spider! It's in the Theridula family, not sure which one though.

https://bugguide.net/node/view/541299

bower · August 23, 2019

Super cute.

I found a pale green one on my garlic the other day, with a ball of green eggs that looked just like a garden pea!

Spidermom was carefully tending that.

jhouse · August 23, 2019

aww. Our little wilderness areas. At least the spiders just eat bugs!

shelleybean · August 23, 2019

Wow! I've never seen anything quite like that! Looks alien.

GoDawgs · August 23, 2019

Glad you found it!

There's a great insect ID site where you can search insects by state.

https://www.insectidentification.org/

Zeedman · August 24, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Glad you found it!

There's a great insect ID site where you can search insects by state.

https://www.insectidentification.org/

Thanks - that's a nice site. Bookmarked for future use.

Worth1 · August 24, 2019

I just hauled a big ole green lynx spider out of the house, it was on my coffee maker.

After second thought maybe I should have left it alone they are hunting spiders.

jhouse · August 24, 2019

wow that's beautiful! And thanks for the site Zeedman!

unrelated side note: I've run across so many people that confuse house centipedes with silverfish; house centipedes are very beneficial, almost every home has them, and all they want to do is eat your pests! They hunt like little lions.

GrowingCoastal · August 24, 2019

Glad you found your spider.
When I was a kid I would lie on the floor and watch TV. One evening a giant centipede ran across the floor in front of me and I stayed up on the couch after that! Good to know they too are harmless to humans.

August 21, 2019	#1
jhouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: sw ohio Posts: 153	Mystery Critter, can you identify? This was under a leaf of one of my jalapeno pepper plants -- I thought it was an odd spider, now I'm not sure. Moves like one, but ?? The pic looks like it might have 6 legs, not 8. Crab shaped, shiny black with a single yellow dot. Any ideas? It's tiny. Location is southwest Ohio. Here's URL if those don't work: http://www.tomatoville.com/picture.p...pictureid=3299 http://www.tomatoville.com/picture.p...pictureid=3302 Last edited by jhouse; August 21, 2019 at 02:14 PM.

August 21, 2019	#2
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	no idea, but check with your local county extension office. they should have an entomologist on staff to ask or find out from someone else. __________________ carolyn k

August 23, 2019	#10
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Wow! I've never seen anything quite like that! Looks alien. __________________ Michele

August 24, 2019	#14
jhouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: sw ohio Posts: 153	wow that's beautiful! And thanks for the site Zeedman! unrelated side note: I've run across so many people that confuse house centipedes with silverfish; house centipedes are very beneficial, almost every home has them, and all they want to do is eat your pests! They hunt like little lions. Last edited by jhouse; August 24, 2019 at 11:07 AM.

August 21, 2019	#4
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	Try googling citrus spider or crab spider images. Some similar ones there. I had crab spiders when I lived in a house on peat but not since. Harmless insect eaters as far as I know.

August 21, 2019	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	It's a wee spider.

August 22, 2019	#7
jhouse Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: sw ohio Posts: 153	Thanks, I finally found my wee spider! It's in the Theridula family, not sure which one though. https://bugguide.net/node/view/541299

August 23, 2019	#8
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	Super cute. I found a pale green one on my garlic the other day, with a ball of green eggs that looked just like a garden pea! Spidermom was carefully tending that.

August 23, 2019	#11
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	Glad you found it! There's a great insect ID site where you can search insects by state. https://www.insectidentification.org/