Southern House Spider: Male and Female Compared

The image on the right is the male southern house spider, and on its left is the female of that species.  This male was found in central Texas in 1995, the female in northeast Texas in 2008. They are remarkably alike, except for basal coloration and the structures of their pedipalps (the diminutive "legs" in front of their faces). The female is dark, almost black, and the male light brown. Note that the same two eyes reflect the camera's flash for both sexes. These are the posterior median eyes (PME), facing upward from a perch atop the highest point on the cephalic bulge. Note also that, where each leg attaches to the carapace, the first two segments (the coxae and trochanters) are pale in this species (though not with K. arizonica or, methinks, K. utahana). These two features--the sparkling eyes in the center of the head and the strikingly light-colored proximal leg segments--are, when taken together, remarkably definitive for this species, regardless of sex. For small specimens these may not be discernible without some magnification, but large specimens can often be identified instantly, with only the naked eye and a good flashlight. NEXT PAGE ---- PAGE Menu:   1  *  2  *  3  *  4  *  5  *   

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