This is probably the biggest spider I've ever seen in San Diego. Any ideas?
imgur.com/a/MHOc9Posted Oct 21, 2011, 12:32 AM UTC
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Posted Oct 21, 2011, 12:32 AM UTC
The picture makes him look pretty small, but his abdomen was about the size of a large grape. We think it's an Orb Weaver... but it has an hourglass on it's belly.
Sure, lots of orbweavers have that. You might be able to find it here Your pictures are pretty blurry. The spider is harmless.
I'm gonna say Neoscona crucifera, but I can't say for certain. It's definitely a harmless orbweaver though; anything that makes a big traditional spiral web like that is going to be harmless. That's not really an hourglass anyway, more of a liberty bell shape.
In fact, in San Diego the only medically significant spider is the western black widow. They make messy cobwebs and you'll know when you see one.