Sea Spider but what type?

[orangeBloke]

I found this little critter in the Philippines this week. I have to admit that I didn't even know there were sea spiders until I found it.

I've spent the last couple of days reading up on them but can't get a species name for this particular one. Is there a sea spider reference out there somewhere? Or can someone help out with this?

The spider here is about a half inch across and was found on a wall about 15m (50ft)down

Thanks

 

[archman]

From a picture, even my ace professor wouldn't attempt a guess. Sea spiders are notoriously diverse and poorly known. The few reference books are written by taxonomists to other taxonomists. Heck, half the pickled specimens in my lab don't even have genus names!

If you're lucky, there might be a regional expert that you can show the photo too. Australia has a bunch. There may even be a field guide out there with a similar-looking critter in it, but beware that such guides are far from the last word. Most pro's ignore field guides trying to identify sea spiders, unless they're very large species that are well documented.

There's a fair chance somebody can get it to genus, however. Those purple bands look distinctive.

 

[Chad_Ordelheide]

Very Interesting!! I didn't know about Sea Spiders either!! Should I be looking for them in Guam?

 

[octgal]

Oh man, i have to worry about them in the water too??? I thought it was my only spider free safe place!!!!????

 

[gangrel441]

lol They're really cool critters. No need to fear, octogal....they aren't really spiders, they just play them on TV.

 

[LeslieH]

They're pretty much everywhere Chad. Some arctic & deep water species get up to about a foot across but the ones you typically see are quite small & hard to spot even when searching for them. Frequently they're so covered with debris they just look like pieces of moving fluff.

 

[octgal]

A FOOT LONG SPIDER? i'll be having nightmares tonight!

the ones in the pic are kinda pretty but a FOOT long one, no thanks. But then again i don't have any trips planned for the deep arctic anytime soon

 

[LeslieH]

A FOOT LONG SPIDER? i'll be having nightmares tonight!
the ones in the pic are kinda pretty but a FOOT long one, no thanks. But then again i don't have any trips planned for the deep arctic anytime soon

Did I mention they feed by inserting their proboscis & sucking out their victim's internal organs?

 

[Rooster]

Very Interesting!! I didn't know about Sea Spiders either!! Should I be looking for them in Guam?

Yes we do have them. The ones I have seen are small, the largest maybe an inch long. This one is probably less than a 1/2 inc long. Like posted above I couldn't find an ID other than it's a pycnogonids.