Gray/Black spider - Ask Extension
Please I.D. this spider found in stairwell in Massachusetts.
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Gray/Black spider #718426
Asked August 28, 2020, 2:56 AM EDT
Please I.D. this spider found in stairwell in Massachusetts.
Bristol County Massachusetts
Expert Response
The spider in the photo is some kind of jumping spider, but I'm not sure which species. Salticidae is the most diverse family of spiders in our area and includes >315 species in the U.S., a number of which look fairly similar to the spider in the photo. Regardless of the species, no jumping spider has a medically important bite and most are reluctant to bite even when handled, so there's no risk to them. They don't breed indoors, so if you found it inside, it almost certainly came in accidentally.