I killed a spider in my house, what species is it? (Detailed description)?

Question

I was sitting, reading an ebook on my floor, and felt a tingle on my arm. It felt light, like a common tingle or a moth. I disregarded it for a while, until it climbed on my arm and saw it was a spider.

The spider was a pale white or gray, about an inch wide including legs, and two inches long in body. I live in an exurb outside Colorado Springs. The climate is usually dry, but today it was rainy. Maybe he wanted to come inside for shelter? I looked online and no real answers showed up. The legs were pretty short and the body was long and thick. I couldn't get a good look at it, so the description may be just a little off. The blood though, was a brownish red. I saw it on the floor, it may have come from under my bed(1) or my bookshelf. I cannot find the body, so my description isn't truly confirmed. It also seemed to be attracted by light, because my whole room was dark except for my ebook and it wasn't afraid of crawling on my arm, which was moving at the time. It didn't bite me, but I want to know if it was poisonous and how common it is in Colorado.

If you could make a list of any spiders that may fit my description, I would be grateful. The most reliable description I have is the color and attraction to light. The rest was quick thinking and speculation.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Check out this page about Colorado spiders from the Colorado State University Extension office.  Hope it helps!

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05512.html

Frank Wilmot
Denver Public Library
http://denverlibrary.org/ask

daniel g · Answer

First, this would be a harmless spider. I can't identify it from your description, but may have been a grey wall jumper, or perhaps a sac spider. I would not expect the spider to bite(if it can) unless it got trapped against the skin.
Neither of these are very docile spiders and are a bit skittish with hands, so may run if you try to catch them.
If you could find another, perhaps catch it with a deli tray and if you could post a decent photo, I could identify it for you.
The little wall jumpers look a bit fuzzy:
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/jumping_spiders.htm
Sac spiders are a pale color:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/41108/bgimage
Both are common in Colorado.

I killed a spider in my house, what species is it? (Detailed description)?

2 Answers