Can someone tell me what spider this is?

Question

It seems to be primarily nocturnal and resembles a garden spider. Approx. the size of a nickel. I live in NW Florida.

Image at http://elav8.net/spiderid.jpg

It is not a brown recluse (fiddle back). That was my first guess, but I have seen them before and they have much longer legs. This resembles a wolf spider, only larger, closest match I have seen is a garden spider. I wish I could get a better shot, but it sleeps curled up like the photo all day and comes out to build a web only at night.

Upon further investigation, I am being led to believe it is a common huntsman spider of sorts.

Answer 1

It appears to be an orb weaver of some type. We have some here in Missouri that are the same type. Sit in the web by day and hunt at night. They get nice sized too but have never bothered us. We have them outside on the porch, near the porch, anywhere the porch light hits directly. I generally don't start to see them until about the 2nd week of July and then they die off when a hard freeze occurs.

Answer 2

Looks like a juvenile Fiddle Back. Does it have an orange or yellow "fiddle" on it's back? That would confirm if it is or not. They do bite, so try to stay clear. They won't kill you or anything, but could hurt a bit.

Could also be a Brown Recluse, but I'm not really sure about Florida spiders.

Answer 3

Sorry, I'm not sure what it is, but fiddle backs have smooth bodies and legs. The body's tend to be greyish and sometimes brownish (although I think that's as they age - i',m not certain.)

Anyhow, the chances are it isn't a fiddle back.

Note: Brown Recluse is just another name for a fiddle back.

Answer 4

From what you'v described in my expert opinion, it's definitly a spider about the size of a nickel.