Posted by Brian WAIKEL on November 28, 2006

Q: I have found a orange body spider, almost flouresent orange. it is about 3/4 inch long body, with medium legs. it has 6 eyes like the brown recluse, the legs are white with brown joints. we live in fort wayne indiana

i cannot find any info on this spider.

my son took it to school for science class, but the teachers had never seen a spider like that. i can take a digital picture if that would help.

please help us identify this spider?

Habitat: suburban/yard

State: Indiana

Habitat: suburban/yard

A: A photo would be extremely helpful as there are many different kinds of spiders and even with a good field guide, it can be difficult to nail down an identification. Be sure to let us know too whether it has a web in which it catchs insects or simply crawls around looking for them - this makes a big difference in helping with ID. I'm glad you and your son have been able to see your spider "in action". They really are interesting animals and once you get to know spiders a bit more, they don't seem so dangerous.

I'm not surprised that your son's science teacher hasn't seen a spider like this but I would hope he/she will get a field guide or two and find out what it is so all can learn about it. The school library may have some guides that can help. It's sad that in our education system, we often ignore the very animals and plants right outside our own doors. Lions and elephants are fine to learn about but what about the animals each child sees in his or her own backyard?

Since spiders do have many different colors, patterns, and body shapes, I really will need to see it before I can begin to help with identification. However, your spider should have 8 eyes, they just are not all easy to see. Please send your photo and we'll do our best to help you out. Thanks for writing and I look forward to receiving the photo.

John Wiessinger ( November 29, 2006)