Quote - Even here in South Africa we also have Black Widows and Brown Recluse/Violin spiders. Mostly I leave those alone, they don't trigger a major freakout in me. Violin spider bites are really horrible though. My friend was bitten, it took for ever to heal and made a festering open wound.

Besides the rain spiders, we also have the "red roman". Not a true spider, I am told. Never mind. Looks like a spider, orangey red with hair all over, and it is aggressive. It chases moving things and bounces up and down when it feels threatened. I once jumped over entire flight of stairs because there was one of these on it, and I didn't know on which step it was.

This brilliant photo is by Hein von Horsten.

We've got small ones of those here in NE California. Don't see them too often inside though.

 

What I hate is the roughly 1-1/2 inch spiders we're always finding around the house with a primarily dark red body and black abdomen. They're too darn big and like to show up in inpleasant locations like the shower drain or on the ceiling over the bed. I typically respond by introducing them to a tissue followed immediately with the bottom of the tissue box.

 

Hey, here's an idea for all us Arachnophobes: watch the Arachnophobia movie for Halloween - guaranteed chills and fright!

________________________________________________________________

If you're joking that's just cruel, but if you're being sarcastic, that's even worse.