This slender spider was squeezing itself to the underside of a leaf. It couldn’t be more shy, crumbling the long spiky legs. I don’t know its exact name, and it would be impossible to tell from my picture. But it is certainly a comb legged spider from the family Theridiidae, possibly a Meotipa species. Theridiidae does not sound familiar, but it has some very popular members.
There are Latrodectus spp., the Black Widows with many popular, colorful, large members.
There is the very interesting, and funny looking happy-face spider from Hawaii, with a face pattern on its back.
Then we have the tiny spiders Argyrodes spp. that live with Nephilas in their web and eat their food.
And there is the almost social spider, which is known for its gigantic colonies. Social behaviour is not often seen in spiders.
Over all, members of this spider family are one of the most common residents in our houses!
Our spider only shows brushes on its legs and is far away from being famous. Who knows what this spider does when we are not looking?! Meotipa’s family is for sure a famous one! Nice surprise!