Little guy (?) on my bathroom wall

paddler4

This guy is kind of drab in terms of color, and a white wall didn't help, but I got a few before he scampered off. Don't know what kind he (?) is, but we have had a few of them. Maybe 6mm long, not counting legs.

Lord Vetinari

Good capture - can't help with ID apart from saying it's a boy
Brian v.

clicketf3

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Good capture - can't help with ID apart from saying it's a boy
Brian v.

How do you differentiate male from female Brian ?

Wicked_Dark

I think it's the presence of such large palps by the mouth...used for transporting sperm for mating. At least in some species. I think.

And I really need a good ID book...anyone have one they like?

mehampson

Nice, great shot of his eyes. This is one of the two or three species of yellow sac spider (Cheiracanthium) we get around here in Boston, judging by the overall color and the shape of the eyes. He had dark tips on his legs, right?

Wicked_Dark: I don't have a spider-specific guide, but I use the National Wildlife Federation's Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, and Stephen A. Marshall's excellent but mammoth Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity. www.whatsthatbug.com and www.bugguide.net are also fantastic.

paddler4

mehampson wrote:

Nice, great shot of his eyes. This is one of the two or three species of yellow sac spider (Cheiracanthium) we get around here in Boston, judging by the overall color and the shape of the eyes. He had dark tips on his legs, right?

Well, I'm a few miles out of Boston, so that sounds right. I just checked, and none of my shots have a clear picture of the tips of the legs. (I was using tubes and was very close). I do have one that has an out-of focus leg tip, and it does look like the bottom is medium-dark gray.