Ok, so I know I am supposed to be an entomology expert here and really, for the most part, I can identify most spiders and the ones I can't, I can usually find them online. So Last week I was going into my basement (which really is only a 10x10 room with a dirt floor and plenty of moisture) and I discovered this spider on the door. As I went down the steps, there were 2 more around the door frame in their webs spread about a foot apart from each other.

I have tried to ID them and am just not having any luck doing so. By eye, they appear to be the same shape and have the overall look of Black Widow males but I believe they are too large for that and it isn't like Widows are overly common around here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Leg to leg they were 1 to 1 1/2 inches stretched out. Obviously they like it damp and dark.

Any ideas?

A parsons spider?

Now I'm going to have nightmares all night after looking at pages and pages of spiders.

Remind me if I am ever in your neck of the wooks... to stay away from your basement.

odinn's planning a Halloween party for all of his AMHD friends. The party will be in his basement.

Actually, the party will be in the garage. I have better spiders out there...nice big Wolf Spiders all over.

Not a Parson Spider...Body color and shape is wrong and the legs are too thick on the Parson compared to the 3 I have here.

It looks almost like an Argiope but the coloring and where it has chosen to live are wrong.

Looks like a fine healthy Northern Widow family

Latrodectus variolus.

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You think so Cats? After you pointed that out, I looked at pictures and it does look like a possibility. The problem with identifying spiders is that there are so many variations and something as simple as how well fed they are can change their shape enough to throw me off a little. With the Northern Widow, the legs, the general shape of the cephalothorax, the coloring of some that I just saw online all seem to match pretty well so I guess it could be.

Just don't tell my wife we have them in the basement....she'll be demanding that I kill them off.

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Originally Posted by odinn7

Just don't tell my wife we have them in the basement....she'll be demanding that I kill them off.

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Let's see, Odin's wife... Do we have a Freya on the site?