Can you help me Identify this spider.
Posted by Matt Gorton on September 21, 2008
Q: Hi I am from A very suburban area in Long Island, NY and I found this spider that I have never seen before in this area and am concerned that it is dangerous. It had amber legs with black strips and a very large backend with black and yellow markings on its underside. I have uploaded pictures for you to see.
Thank You
State: New York
Habitat: suburban/yard
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A: This is definitely NOT a dangerous spider so you can be assured that it is no problem for family or pets.
As best as I can tell from your photo, it is almost certainly one of the Araneus spiders. This is a very large group of spiders that are quite common across North America. Many people refer to these spiders as garden spiders. They build rather large orb webs and come in a wide range of patterns and colors. The Araneus spiders catch large numbers of insects in their webs and their relatively large size means they're often noticed by homeowners. Your particular specimen is probably a female whose rounded abdomen is full of eggs. Google this genus and see if you can come up with an exact match.
Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( September 22, 2008)