Tisha,

If you can, you might capture one and take it to your local/county agricultural cooperative - they should be able to ID it for you.

That's the problem-o. They're fast little f-ers and I don't know if I'd be able to catch one and I don't want to fiddle with one too much in case I am wrong and it really is a fiddleback. I've never seen one in a web around the house, so that bothers me.

Any suggestions about what to capture it in? Would I have to capture it alive, or would they still maybe be able to ID one that's been properly squished with a flip-flop?

Dear Tisha,

A spider that's been squashed/flattened/fatally assaulted with a flip-flop is one that's probably going to be difficult to ID.

Maybe an open jar that's on its side? Or better yet, you don't even have to catch one - how about a photo?

What's a fiddleback? Isn't there a fiddleback fern, and maybe too a fiddleback crab? Never heard of a fiddleback spider, but I don't much 'bout Arachnids.

Ooops. Sorry. Fiddleback is probably too Okie of a name for them. lol A Fiddleback is the same thing as a Brown Recluse. We call them that because they look like they, well, have a fiddle on their back. Here's a link that shows you what I mean.
Website: http://www.brown-recluse.com/spiderinfo.html

From ALL of the spider pics I've looked at online, I want to say that what I've got is a Grass Spider, but I don't know for sure. I'm starting to get paranoid because my spider has a lot of personality traits of fiddlebacks...they're fast, they don't make webs, they hide in stuff that's cluttering the ground (usually Keith's clothes that he throws onto the floor at night...GRR!!!)

Anyway, I'm paranoid now. I guess I'll go do something else for a while to get my mind of my arachnid problem.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grass Spiders

I don't know if you have them there but wolf spiders don't make webs, unless it's as a net to catch things. They have some powerful chompers and can be agressive also. Grass spiders are the same as funnel weavers, so they do make a web, it'll look like a cornucopia.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1033.html

Here is a link that might be useful: wolf spiders

Thank you, thank you thank you, Mentha! I KNEW OSU had to have a page that would help me out and I've been looking all day, but never came across is. Thanks so much. This totally helps. I appreicate it.

I thought they might be Wolf Spiders too, but I just can't be sure still. From all the pics I've seen, my spiders seem a little less substantial in size and girth than the Wolf Spiders.

Do you have jumping spiders?

The big hairy black suckers? Yep.

Oh Tisha, you should see our jumpers!

Hubby & I had to walk 6-ft away sround one trying to make it to the ground from the garage roof near the front door.

That sucka was huuuge; the size of a thumbnail!

It sure was pretty though; white & black stripes with green fang coverings.

It looked just like the one Fawn & I caught in AR at the nursery she worked at, for her terrarium at her apt.

Anyhoo, he/she actually made it inside our house & hubby wouldn't catch it, so I had to, after many attempts of getting it to come out from behind the AC/heat vent upstairs.

They sure are smart buggers 'cause it played hide & seek with me for about 15 mins!

I hope it's still alive after tossing it back outside, in a different area though than the slightly smaller & same-colored one hubby caught the week before.

That one was on the ceiling downstairs above my head as I walked into the kitchen!

Then teen son & I watched two gray jumpers meeting yesterday on the brick ledge in front of the house.

The way they were acting towards one another reminded us of the crabs on Finding Nemo; heyyy heyyyy heyyyyy!

I guess one was a female that'd run off & I guess the other was a male & it'd chase after her.

It was as if she was saying "You men are all the same & only want one thing!"

And it's like he was saying "Come back with my credit card woman, you have enough shoes!"

LOL

Jumpers are the only spider I like 'cause they're so comical.

To me they resemble miniature tarantulas.

But I wouldn't want one biting me 'cause I read somewhere on the internet that it's painful & the effects last for several days.