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Giant house spider or hobo? #568266

Asked June 07, 2019, 5:11 PM EDT

Hi. I found this in my house today and I was wondering if it is a giant house spider or a hobo spider. It was moving very slow if that makes a difference. I have uploaded two pictures as well.

Clackamas County Oregon

Expert Response

Based on the picture on the left, I don't see any yellow markings. The picture on the right is a little dark. I found this article on identifying hobo spiders https://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Hobo-Spider. I also found https://ipminstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Spider-Guide-Wegner-BASF-Revised-12-2-14.pdf to identify the 'family' of spiders to which this one might belong.  If you are concerned, I'd recommend capturing the spider and then putting it in the freezer to slow it down so you can look at the underside of the spider.  You can take the frozen specimen to the Master Gardener Office in Clackamas County
Hours: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday
Phone:<personal data hidden>
Email: Clackamas County Master Gardeners
Address: 200 Warner-Milne Rd. Oregon City, OR 97045
They will likely have a microscope that will make it easier to examine for key characteristics.
Regards and happy gardening! Replied June 11, 2019, 12:50 PM EDT
Thank you for answering my question, so if it did have yellow markings then it would most likely be a hobo spider? The spider was moving very slow so I think it wasn't going to be alive much longer. My husband did take it outside and set it free so we no longer have access to it. 
The Question Asker Replied June 13, 2019, 4:16 PM EDT
Well, one my colleagues noted that color isn't necessarily a primary indicator. She stated that the information in this publication https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/408/2015/02/PLS-116-How-to-Identify-or-Misidentify-the-Hobo-Spid... is really the 'gold standard'.  Further, it will only help you rule out the hobo and not necessarily help you identify what it is.
Regards and happy gardening! Replied June 14, 2019, 7:19 PM EDT

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